Isaiah Hartenstein demonstrated what the role could be at its peak. The job as the Knicks’ backup center — at the time occupying the spot behind an injury-prone Mitchell Robinson on the depth chart — could serve as a launchpad to an $87 million deal in free agency. To pricing out of the Knicks’ maximum offer due to the early Bird rights.

Friday night marked Isaiah Hartenstein’s first time back at The Garden since leaving the Knicks this offseason, and the hometown crowd was sure to give him a warm welcome.

Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein signed a three-year, $87 million deal over the summer after two seasons with the New York Knicks. However, he still follows his former team, which he admitted to rooting for during the Knicks’ Christmas Day matchup against the San Antonio Spurs.