With just a few turns of the steering wheel, Billy Donovan bounces between his hotel room and his office, grinding away at the work that will have him prepared for the 2015-16 season.
The route from his hotel in Oklahoma City to the INTEGRIS Thunder Development Center has become second nature to the Thunder’s new head coach in his first two-plus months on the job, as he meets with staff, coaches and players in the adjustment period for his new role.
Donovan is feeling comfortable and getting acclimated quickly because his vision for the program has aligned with Thunder General Manager and Executive Vice President Sam Presti’s from Day One.
“(Sam) really laid out what the organization stood for, what it was about, what the core values are about, what he envisioned going forward, how we wanted to go forward, things that were important to him as a general manager,” Donovan said. “I identified with all of those things.”
“Anytime you’re working with somebody, are you always going to agree on everything? No. Are there going to be some differences? But at the core of it, we’re moving in the same direction,” Donovan continued. “I felt like with Sam, that was really going to be the case. Mr. Bennett, the owner – same thing. It’s been a great experience for me up to this point in time. The people have been wonderful and they really have helped me in my transition a great deal.”
Donovan has spent the past ten weeks meeting with Thunder staff, observing Presti and the front office’s draft preparation and meeting with prospective NBA players. After spending 19 years at the University of Florida, Donovan was amazed to see the homework done by the Thunder organization on collegiate, international and other potential draft selections.
“One of the first things that was really impressive to me was Sam and his staff with all the preparation,” Donovan said. “The teamwork and organization of the whole entire staff and how they worked together with their poise and preparation, it was a great experience to sit there and go through it with all of them.”
The Thunder selected Cameron Payne in the first round and Dakari Johnson in the second round of June’s 2015 NBA Draft, and Donovan had the chance to work with both players in Orlando, along with the rest of the Summer League team. Donovan has also been watching tons of film, facilitating some workouts and getting to know some of the men he’ll be coaching on both a professional and personal level.
“It’s enjoyable to be able to get on the court,” Donovan explained. “I enjoyed that leading up to Summer League to be out there with those guys to be able to get on the floor with Kevin (Durant), with (Andre) Roberson and some of the different guys who have been in (Oklahoma City). That’s been fun.”
One player in particular that he’s gotten to know has been Kevin Durant, because the 2013-14 NBA MVP has been diligently rehabbing from his foot procedure with team trainers in Oklahoma City this offseason. From spending time together at the facility, in the film room and in Orlando for Summer League, Donovan has already begun to bond with the perennial All-Star forward.
“I really enjoy being around him and certainly his basketball ability and talents speak for themselves,” Donovan said. “Just having a chance to be around him on a different level, he’s just an incredible person. I think the game is very important to him, his teammates are very important to him, and I think he’s a guy who leads by example in terms of his work ethic. His work ethic is phenomenal.”
In addition to his time in the gym, Donovan also completed an essential task - hiring a coaching staff around him. Maurice Cheeks, Monty Williams, Anthony Grant, Mark Bryant and Darko Rajakovic will serve as assistants, while Adam Harrington will be the shooting coach, Vin Bhavnani the manager of advance scouting/player development and Billy Schmidt joins the team as quality control coach.
Each of the coaches helps the staff become a balanced, diverse group whose expertise will help the players be prepared for each challenge they face during the grueling 82-game schedule.
“We all have experiences in our life that we can share and help each other get better in,” Donovan said. “I’ve always been a big believer in having people who are experienced around you and with you because it brings just a plethora of ideas and suggestions and different things to be able to think about and talk about as a staff.”