Head Coach Scott Brooks and his staff intently watched every second of the game action from their seats, even if they weren’t in their normal spot on the sideline.
On Sunday, just across the street from Chesapeake Energy Arena, at the Cox Convention Center, the Thunder coaching staff, basketball operations personnel and nearly the full Thunder roster, including Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, watched teammates Mitch McGary and Grant Jerrett compete for the Oklahoma City Blue.
Both rookie Thunder players were on assignment for the Blue for a tilt against the Austin Spurs in an afternoon Development League matchup. Although on minute restrictions as they continue their rehab processes from foot injuries, McGary and Jerrett both performed well and gained valuable on-court experience.
“I just wanted to make sure they were integrated,” Daighneault said. “Today was just about getting them up and down, getting them playing again and getting their rhythm back and all that kind of stuff because they’re coming off injuries.”
In 17 minutes, McGary scored 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting, while also grabbing five rebounds and making a steal. Jerrett played 25 minutes and scored nine points on 3-for-8 shooting, including a 3-for-5 mark from three-point range. The stretch power forward also grabbed four rebounds and blocked a shot. Although the game was more about building a rhythm as opposed to evaluating performance, Oklahoma City Blue Head Coach Mark Daigneault came away impressed by both McGary and Jerrett.
“I love how (McGary) competes and how hard he plays,” Daigneault said. “He’s a culture guy, a team guy and a high character dude. That’s what he was today.”
“(Jerrett’s) existence in the NBA is as a complementary player and complementary players have to make their teammates better,” Daigneault. “As a floor spacer, his ability to stand out there and be a threat to make shots, it makes everybody else better. As he continues to get back and get back into rhythm, he’s a different look for a lot of teams.”
After a slow start, McGary found his rhythm late in the first quarter, when he got a fast break started by rifling a precise outlet pass to start a fast break. Not long after, he got a post-up opportunity, and with nice footwork he found a shooting lane and hit a turn-around jumper. On the very next possession, he ran the floor and got a deep seal in the lane for an easy lefty hook shot.
“I was just trying to knock off some of the rust, get up and down the court and rebound,” McGary said. “I had a little game plan with what I was going to do and what I was going to stay away from. I thought I did well sticking to that plan.”
“I was just trying to get back into the groove of things and stay within my game and not force too many things,” McGary said. “I wanted to get up and down the court and get my motor going.”
Jerrett, who played a handful of minutes for the Thunder on Friday, got going in the second quarter when he hit a three-pointer from the right wing in the secondary break, then followed that up with another three-pointer in transition as the trail man at the top of the key. McGary showed off some more of his passing ability in the second quarter, then he hit a spinning layup in the lane and finished his scoring by slipping a screen and finishing at the rim with his left hand.
“I was just trying to get back into a basketball groove again,” Jerrett said. “It’s nice to add in more things, but that will come with time. I’m starting to get used to it and feel natural again.”
These assignments are an integral part of the process of getting players like McGary and Jerrett back into game shape, but also to ensure that their playing time comes in a comfortable and consistent environment. Daigneault runs his program in lockstep with the Thunder’s and the coaching staffs work closely together to help with the evaluation process and to develop players.
It was fitting, then, that even on an off day for the Thunder, the entire coaching staff came out to get a first-hand glimpse at the Blue. It was also a wonderful display of team chemistry to see the support that McGary and Jerrett’s Thunder teammates gave throughout the afternoon.
“It’s good to have their support and good to be back out there,” McGary said. “It just shows that we’re one big family. Everybody supports the next and they obviously want to see what we can bring to the team and see if we can help.”