Thunder Summer League Preview
Aug 20 2009 4:08PM
The off-season has become so important to the Thunder that it will participate in both the Orlando and Las Vegas Summer Leagues this month, and it will be the only organization to do so.
All of the hard work that the Thunder coaches, staff and players have put in over the last two months will come to a head when the team arrives in Orlando on Sunday for a week’s worth of practices and games, followed by another week of the same in Las Vegas.
Assistant coach Brian Keefe will coach both teams, while Mark Bryant, Vin Bhavnani and Nate Tibbetts, the new Tulsa 66ers coach, will serve as assistant coaches. Head coach Scott Brooks will be at both leagues.
“We feel that we have a team, a group of guys that need that experience in the summer,” Brooks said. “So we’re putting more emphasis in our summer program. We’ve been out and visited most of the players on our team in their cities where they are at. So we’re putting a lot of emphasis into summer league to see where they are, see what we need to work on going forward.”
Every player on the Thunder’s Summer League rosters will have an opportunity to prove himself.
The handful of free agents that Director of Pro Player Personnel Bill Branch assembled will have more of an uphill battle.
The rookie class of James Harden, B.J. Mullens and Robert Vaden will get its first taste of professional basketball, and also give the coaching staff a barometer of where they’re at in a controlled setting with officiating and against first- and second-year players.
The staff will soon learn how much work last year’s rookie class of Russell Westbrook, Kyle Weaver and D.J. White has put in this off-season.
International prospects Serge Ibaka and DeVon Hardin will have a chance to show whether they’re capable of helping the Thunder this season, or if they need another year of seasoning overseas.
In other words, it’s unfair to say the organization is interested in seeing only a handful of its players.
“There’s guys on the summer league team that aren’t guaranteed for next season,” Brooks said. “Those guys we’re looking at, we’re looking to see if they will help us, a piece here and a piece there that we can add. But there is pressure on those guys to play well and make an impact while they’re here. That’s very common in summer league.”
With that said, Brooks said he anticipated he would speak to every player on the Summer League rosters before the team’s first game in Orlando.
Brooks said he’ll deliver the same message to the roster: how vital it is for everyone to establish a workmanlike mentality.
“And when they establish that, you can really focus on the game and what you need to do to get better,” Brooks said, “because if you play hard it takes that aspect out of the equation. We know this is what you can do now. Can he score on the block? Can he shoot threes? Can he put it on the floor? Can he make his free throws? So every guy on our team will understand their role, and some guys will have a bigger role than others. And going into every game they will understand their role.”
As for Harden, the No. 3 pick in last month’s draft, Brooks is interested in seeing both his playmaking abilities and individual defense.
Harden proved at the collegiate level that he can score in a myriad of ways, but Brooks said that isn’t what the organization needs to see from him this summer.
“We’re looking for guys who can get players involved and he has the ability to do that from his position,” Brooks said. “And defensively we’ll really be able to see how he guards. In college they had a great zone that they had, they won a lot of games with that. But in the NBA you don’t play a lot of zone defense. We’ll be able to see where he is in these man-to-man principles.”
Most, if not all, of the Thunder basketball operations staff will accompany the players over the next two weeks.
Brooks has had the staff more involved they would normally be, from preparation to player development. Brooks has continued to stress the importance for everyone – players, coaches and staff – to challenge themselves heading into Summer League. Doing that, he said, improves the whole product.
“Summer League is very important for our development,” Brooks said. “Our guys are down there to continue to establish the spirit of this team and that is, work hard, play together. We have a good group of guys down there that BK will coach and do a great job of leading our message. And that is to continue to play together and continue to play with great energy.”
Contact Chris Silva
All of the hard work that the Thunder coaches, staff and players have put in over the last two months will come to a head when the team arrives in Orlando on Sunday for a week’s worth of practices and games, followed by another week of the same in Las Vegas.
Assistant coach Brian Keefe will coach both teams, while Mark Bryant, Vin Bhavnani and Nate Tibbetts, the new Tulsa 66ers coach, will serve as assistant coaches. Head coach Scott Brooks will be at both leagues.
“We feel that we have a team, a group of guys that need that experience in the summer,” Brooks said. “So we’re putting more emphasis in our summer program. We’ve been out and visited most of the players on our team in their cities where they are at. So we’re putting a lot of emphasis into summer league to see where they are, see what we need to work on going forward.”
Every player on the Thunder’s Summer League rosters will have an opportunity to prove himself.
The handful of free agents that Director of Pro Player Personnel Bill Branch assembled will have more of an uphill battle.
The rookie class of James Harden, B.J. Mullens and Robert Vaden will get its first taste of professional basketball, and also give the coaching staff a barometer of where they’re at in a controlled setting with officiating and against first- and second-year players.
The staff will soon learn how much work last year’s rookie class of Russell Westbrook, Kyle Weaver and D.J. White has put in this off-season.
International prospects Serge Ibaka and DeVon Hardin will have a chance to show whether they’re capable of helping the Thunder this season, or if they need another year of seasoning overseas.
In other words, it’s unfair to say the organization is interested in seeing only a handful of its players.
“There’s guys on the summer league team that aren’t guaranteed for next season,” Brooks said. “Those guys we’re looking at, we’re looking to see if they will help us, a piece here and a piece there that we can add. But there is pressure on those guys to play well and make an impact while they’re here. That’s very common in summer league.”
With that said, Brooks said he anticipated he would speak to every player on the Summer League rosters before the team’s first game in Orlando.
Brooks said he’ll deliver the same message to the roster: how vital it is for everyone to establish a workmanlike mentality.
“And when they establish that, you can really focus on the game and what you need to do to get better,” Brooks said, “because if you play hard it takes that aspect out of the equation. We know this is what you can do now. Can he score on the block? Can he shoot threes? Can he put it on the floor? Can he make his free throws? So every guy on our team will understand their role, and some guys will have a bigger role than others. And going into every game they will understand their role.”
As for Harden, the No. 3 pick in last month’s draft, Brooks is interested in seeing both his playmaking abilities and individual defense.
Harden proved at the collegiate level that he can score in a myriad of ways, but Brooks said that isn’t what the organization needs to see from him this summer.
“We’re looking for guys who can get players involved and he has the ability to do that from his position,” Brooks said. “And defensively we’ll really be able to see how he guards. In college they had a great zone that they had, they won a lot of games with that. But in the NBA you don’t play a lot of zone defense. We’ll be able to see where he is in these man-to-man principles.”
Most, if not all, of the Thunder basketball operations staff will accompany the players over the next two weeks.
Brooks has had the staff more involved they would normally be, from preparation to player development. Brooks has continued to stress the importance for everyone – players, coaches and staff – to challenge themselves heading into Summer League. Doing that, he said, improves the whole product.
“Summer League is very important for our development,” Brooks said. “Our guys are down there to continue to establish the spirit of this team and that is, work hard, play together. We have a good group of guys down there that BK will coach and do a great job of leading our message. And that is to continue to play together and continue to play with great energy.”
Contact Chris Silva
