The Rockets’ 2017 draft pick, Isaiah Hartenstein, prides himself in his versatile play.
Plan is for draft pick to get another year of seasoning overseas
If there is anything Isaiah Hartenstein believes he can bring to the Rockets, he summed it up as many things.
In a three-minute conversation after he was selected with the 43rd pick in the NBA draft late Thursday, Hartenstein said the word “versatile” five times.
That versatility, he said, allows him to help a team in a variety of ways to distinguish himself from the player to whom he is most often compared, former Rockets forward/center Donatas Motiejunas.
“I can do a lot of things on the court,” Hartenstein said. “Whatever teams need me to do, I can do. Being very mobile for my height, I can put the ball on the floor, defend different positions. Me being very versatile helps me a lot.”
Similarities to Motiejunas
Still, there are some similarities to Motiejunas.
Hartenstein, 19, also is a lefthanded professional in Europe with a well-rounded offensive game. He has had some back issues, though he said he’s “perfectly fine” and didn’t miss a game or practice last season. Motiejunas is from Lithuania and Hartenstein, a German citizen born in Oregon, played in D-Mo’s hometown of Kaunas last season. They share agent B.J. Armstrong.
The most immediate similarity could be that Hartenstein, like Motiejunas, will spend his first season after the draft overseas, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said.
“He’s already playing at a good level professionally,” Morey said. “Guys who play overseas, 7-footers like that, they are very skilled and fit well with coach (Mike) D’Antoni’s system. We’re excited for him. Fans will have to wait a little bit. Some of the guys we’ve drafted in the past are going to be on the team next year.”
The Rockets intend to sign Zhou Qi, last season’s secondround pick, next month. Zhou, who was 20 when he was drafted in 2016, spent the season in China.
“Whatever the organization thinks is best for me I’ll do it,” Hartenstein said of spending one more season overseas. “They have a plan for me. A lot of people came in and developed here.”
Morey said the Rockets had expected Hartenstein to have been taken earlier and had scouted him in Lithuania.
“A potential two-way player,” Morey said. “As usual, was very surprised he was available. (He) was a target for us for a while. Born in the U.S., moved to Germany when he was 11. … We really like his potential.
“Coach D’Antoni is so excited for a guy who is 7-foot, mobile, a great offensive skill set and a guy who can play both ends.”
Hartenstein (7-0, 250) is bigger than Motiejunas with potential to fill out.
“We’re kind of different players,” Hartenstein said. “I’m probably more versatile than he was. He was a really good player in general. Me coming in, I can pass the ball a little better. I’m a little more physical, I think.”
Father played professionally
Though he will not be with the Rockets next season, Hartenstein believes he is prepared to make the jump.
“I mean, definitely just being in different situations in my life, coming from Eugene to Germany then to Lithuania really helped me mature as a player and as a person, and I think I was really ready for this step, and I think now just getting picked where I got picked, I think now I’m just coming in with another chip on my shoulder,” Hartenstein said.
“Being around my dad (Florian) really helped me a lot. I mean, I’ve been around professionals since I was 11, practicing already when I was 15.”
Though his father played at Oregon before a professional career in Germany, Hartenstein models his game after current NBA stars.
“Anthony Davis, how versatile he is,” Hartenstein said. “Draymond Green, does all the little stuff, how good a passer he is. Also, Kevin Love’s outlet passes, I think I can do that, also.”
The Rockets won’t expect all that, but Hartenstein believes there is a good fit with what he can do and the team he hopes to join. He averaged 20.2 points and 12 rebounds last season.
“It’s definitely a good organization,” Hartenstein said. “Coming into a winning team is a good plus. I love winning. Coming in and doing the little stuff, I think I’m very versatile, do a lot of things on the court — shoot the ball, pass the ball, rebound. Then on defense I play against different positions. I think I help the team a lot. Whatever the team needs me to do, I’ll do.
“I just want to be a winner. That’s just being a champion at the end of my career, that people know I’m a champion. That’s probably the biggest thing.”