The OKC Thunder officially started a new winning streak as they picked up their second straight win against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.

While many things went well for Oklahoma City on the night, such as their 45.2 three-point conversion rate and holding opposing stars like De’Aaron Fox to just 14 points, the most noticed takeaway was easily their 130 -109-Triumph the top-notch screenwriting skills of the big man Isaiah Hartenstein.

While many Thunder fans may initially have been under the impression that the 26-year-old’s 7-foot-1, 220-pound frame would primarily benefit OKC’s rebound production and interior defensive efforts, this is two games into his first regular season With the franchise obvious that his stature is ideal for another important quality: the screen design.

Against the Kings, Hartenstein served as a wall in the pick department and was directly involved in creating space for a number of his teammates to make plays.

One of the most frequent beneficiaries of these special skills on the night was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 14 of his 37 total points after receiving a screen from I-Hart.

After the game, the superstar guard couldn’t help but praise his teammate for his help in that area of ​​the game, raving about his seamless integration into the team and describing him as the ideal lynchpin to play alongside him, by saying: “He’s a dream man for a big man.”

Considering how impressive his performance and overall impact on the team has been since his debut last Wednesday, it should come as no surprise that SGA wasn’t the only one overrating Hartenstein after Monday’s win.

Coach Mark Daigneault has proven to call the center “the best guy I’ve ever coached” when it comes to the art of screen setting, while Jalen Williams (8 of his 28 points came off I-Hart picks) did so during his In a court interview after the game, Hartenstein “was really good for us.”

In fact, Isaiah Hartenstein has been a revelation for this Thunder team in many ways since he was medically cleared to return from his fractured left hand, showcasing his versatility and difference-making abilities in rebounding, defense and as a criminally underrated quarterback Players prove distributor

In two games so far, he has impressive averages of 15.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks while shooting 54.0 percent from the field.

However, it’s obvious that one of Hartenstein’s best and most valued contributions to this Oklahoma City team was one that didn’t make the stat sheet.

Fortunately, his teammates and coaching staff don’t have to look at the score to know how special his new addition has already proven himself.