After all, the opponent is an appointment with the teacher! It is not easy for the Thunder inside pillar to perform like this

In the previous NBA Western Conference semi-finals G7, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who played at home, defeated the Denver Nuggets 125-93. After this game, the Thunder locked the total score of the series at 4-3 and successfully advanced to the Western Conference Finals. Next, the Thunder will compete with the Minnesota Timberwolves for a finals, while the Nuggets will be out of the Western Conference semi-finals for two consecutive seasons.

In this game, the Thunder's starting center Isaiah Hartenstein's performance was relatively stable. Haltenstein played 17 minutes and 05 seconds in the whole game, made 5 of 7 shots, scored 10 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist, including 4 frontcourt rebounds and 2 fouls, with a plus-minus value of -7. Haltenstein also got a lot of points on the offensive end with limited shots, and his offensive efficiency can also be maintained at a high level. He also provided certain support to the team on the offensive end. Haltenstein's performance in the competition for rebounds in the front and back court is also worthy of recognition, and he also played a key role in this regard. Overall, Haltenstein can play his role well on both offense and defense. It is not easy to maintain this state in the competition with centers of Nikola Jokic at the level of Nikola Jokic.

In the NBA regular season this season, Haltenstein played a total of 57 games due to injuries in 82 games, averaging 27.9 minutes per game, averaging 11.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.1 blocks, and 1.7 turnovers and 3 fouls. His shooting percentage was 58.7% and his free throw shooting percentage was 67.5%. In the playoffs, Haltenstein averaged 25.8 minutes in the first 11 games, with averaging 10.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks. He also had 1.3 turnovers and 3.2 fouls, shooting percentage of 60.5% and free throw percentage of 69.2%.

Haltenstein's performance during this round of series has indeed declined to a certain extent, and his data during the playoffs have also declined somewhat compared to the regular season. But after all, this is a playoff level performance, and his opponent is also a teacher. It is quite commendable to be able to perform like this in this situation. Although Haltenstein does not seem to be so outstanding in the data, his strategic value and significance are also very clear. In the Western Conference Finals, Haltenstein's opponent will be Rudy Gobert, the league's top inside gate. In this case, can Haltenstein perform better on both offense and defense?