87 million in 3 years! How good is Thunder Hatten?

In the regular season, the Thunder defeated the Kings 132-101 in an away game.

In this game, Thunder star Alexander still performed well: he only played less than 30 minutes, shooting 12 of 20 shots, 2 of 6 three-pointers, 4 of 4 free throws, and scored 30 points, 3 assists and 2 steals.

It goes without saying how strong Alexander's offensive firepower is. He has averaged 30+ points per game in the past three years and won the scoring title last season. Due to Jay Wei's injury at the beginning of this season, he started scoring mode early. He scored 55 points in the second game of the regular season. He has averaged 33 points per game so far, a career high and third in the league.

It is worth mentioning that in the first 9 games of the season, Alexander was the team's scoring leader in each of the games. Until this game against the Kings, Hatten came out - you read that right, it was not Chet, not Isaiah Joe, or Wiggins who saved basketball, but Hatten.

In this game, Harten played a total of 31 minutes, shooting 14 of 17 shots, 5 of 6 free throws, and scored 33 points, 19 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 1 steal.

What is the general concept:

- 33 points is the highest score in Harten's career. The previous highest score was 24 points (in fact, 20+ has only been achieved 4 times)

- 19 rebounds is the second highest score in Harten's career, and the highest is 20 rebounds.

- 30 points + 15 rebounds + kills in a single game With a shooting percentage of 75%, he is the first player in the history of the Thunder

It is no exaggeration to say that Harten really destroyed the Kings inside this game. On the offensive end, he got everything he asked for, catching balls under the basket, alley-oop dunks, secondary offenses, and near-frame throws. He even made many fake passes from outside the three-point line and then broke through for throws/layups.

Another comparison is that Harten grabbed 19 rebounds alone in this game, while the Kings' three insiders Eubanks (1 rebound in a single game), Leno, and Achiuwa only had 15 rebounds combined.

In addition, there is another statistic: Hatten's plus-minus value in this game is as high as +32. In comparison, Alexander's plus-minus value is "only" +10.

Of course, this does not mean that Hatten is more important than Alexander, but since joining the Thunder, his performance has been really, really crucial.

Take this season as an example. In the 10 games he has played so far, Harten has averaged 30 minutes per game, scoring 12.9 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals, with a shooting percentage of 67.9%.

The Thunder started with 9 wins and 1 loss, and Hatten contributed a lot: when he was on the court, the Thunder scored 121.3 points per 100 rounds, conceded 105.7 points, and had a net victory of 15.5 points.

Looking at last season, Harten’s performance was outstanding:

——Regular season, averaging 11.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.1 blocks per game, shooting 58.1% from the field

— —In the playoffs, he averaged 8.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.8 steals per game, shooting 61.9% from the field.

In his first year with the Thunder, he not only helped the Thunder achieve a historic 68-win record, but also won the championship as the starting center. It was simply perfect.

Harten is not a player who can attack with the ball, and he does not have a three-pointer that can open up the space, but he has many advantages:

1. Height 2.13 meters, wingspan 2.19 meters, strong body, and very good defense. This is in the West Very important, he is a key figure in the Thunder's inside defense.

2. Excellent pie-eating ability. Note that Harten is not just a simple pie-eater. He also has a beautiful near-frame throw. This throw determines the difference between him and the traditional blue-collar center who can only finish inside.

3. Passing ability , this is one of Harten's most underestimated abilities. Although it is not as good as Jokic, Sasha, Shen Jing and other big players, Harten's pick-and-roll handoff and ability to find open teammates near the mid-range are very good. He can occasionally handle the ball, which also makes Harten more difficult to defend

If you still remember, in the 2023-24 season, the Thunder actually had the best record in the Western Conference, but they were defeated by the Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs. In that round of the series, facing the Mavericks' double-high combination of Lively + Gafford, the Thunder without a center can be said to have suffered a big loss.

For this reason, in the 2024 offseason, the Thunder did not hesitate to sign Hatten with a three-year, 87 million contract. At that time, Hatten only had 7.8 points and 8.3 rebounds the year before, and only 5.0 points and 6.5 rebounds the year before that.

Even if the final year is a team option, this contract should have shocked many fans at the time. Looking back now, the word "sweet" cannot be overstated. Harten directly became an important puzzle piece for the Thunder to win last season. There is hope for consecutive championships this season, and it is even possible to establish a dynasty in the future.

The important point is that Hatten is actually only 27 years old. When he joined the Thunder, he thought this was his peak, but now it seems that Hatten can actually improve, which may be unexpected by many Thunder fans.

As Presti said after the game: "He was very influential when he first joined, but he is still improving, especially in terms of offense and on-field decision-making. He is getting more and more adapted to our system and establishing a chemical reaction with his teammates. Tonight's game will be It is the best proof. "

It is worth mentioning that Hatten was the 13th pick in the second round of the 2017 class. From being a marginal substitute for the Rockets, to being a solid starter, to being a championship starting center, and then to having this career night, his growth is definitely worthy of recognition. I hope he can bring more surprises in the future.