Thunder's Isaiah Hartenstein Discusses Jared McCain's ‘Special' Attitude

The Oklahoma City Thunder added an important piece to their championship-contending roster at the trade deadline earlier this year, securing Jared McCain in a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Thunder acquired McCain, the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, in exchange for four future draft picks. He played sparingly through the regular season, but has since carved out a significant role in OKC’s playoff rotation.

With both Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell out in Game 5, head coach Mark Daigneault inserted McCain into the starting lineup. The second-year guard delivered an excellent performance in the 127-114 win, recording 20 points through 33 mintues of action.

After the game, veteran Thunder big man Isaiah Hartenstein talked about McCain’s infectious attitude.

“I think he’s a special human being,” Hartenstein said. “No one will change the way he is. I’ve never seen someone so happy every single day. It gives something to the locker room. I can’t be mad looking at him, if that makes sense.”

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Daigneault’s decision to give McCain his first career playoff start paid off as the Thunder took a 3-2 lead in the conference finals series.

“I never take it for granted when someone steps into a role like that in a game like this,” Daigneault said postgame. “I’m certainly not surprised. He’s got great moxie and confidence.”

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Game 6 will tipoff at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.

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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 2:57 PM.