As the 2015 Thunder Summer League squad opened play in Orlando on Saturday, they had some important Thunder eyes on them. Head Coach Billy Donovan, forward Kevin Durant and General Manager Sam Presti sat courtside watching and supporting the team.
Durant, who played in two summer leagues early in his career, said it is a chance for young players to get an early taste of the NBA and he is glad to show up and support his team.
"It gives you confidence, gets you acclimated to NBA life as a player, what your coaches need you to do and how different it is from college or D-League or overseas. It's a great opportunity in the summertime to get better."
As for his own summer, Durant said he continues to progress. "It's going well. I'm juiced. I can't wait to play basketball again. I can start to see the progress and see the work that I put in start to come to fruition. I'm getting better every single day. I have to continue to stay patient and positive and it will work out for me."
Having his All-Star teammate in attendance at Summer League impressed Mitch McGary who said it will provide a boost to the team. "It's awesome for a guy like him to come in and support us, say a few words of encouragement, help us out, say a few pointers, especially young guys trying to make the team. Words of encouragement really mean something. It's good to have him around," McGary said.