The walls of the INTEGRIS Thunder Development Center pulsated for two-plus hours on Tuesday morning. The reverberations of the shouts, cheers and instruction coming from the court nearly shook the building as the Thunder completed its first practice of the 2015-16 U.S. Cellular Thunder Training Camp.
As the players finished up their individual work, the word that buzzed around the facility was “new”. From the head coach, Billy Donovan, to assistant coaches Monty Williams, Maurice Cheeks and Anthony Grant to a meshing of teammates competing with and against one another, there is a freshness around the organization.
With that comes a level of enthusiasm and a spark of imagination and life. The process of getting the Thunder to the place it needs to be before opening night will be a long, arduous one, but it got off to an excellent start.
“Guys were obviously very, very excited,” Donovan said. “There was certainly a lot of teaching to do in the first couple of hours, just trying to get a defensive system and philosophy and some of those things, trying to break down and teach. We got a lot in considering it was the first day.”
While there is a lot of change from the 2014-15 season heading into this year, there is also a connectedness and comfort level amongst the players. With Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison serving as veteran leaders who have an investment and ownership of the program, the Thunder has a core that understands what it takes to win in the NBA and can help guide younger players.
In congress with the coaching staff, those team leaders have made sure to keep the players attached to one another throughout the offseason, making the transition to training camp a smooth one.
“There was a lot of energy and it was fun to get back at it,” Collison said. "Guys feel comfortable in their roles. I’m not talking about on the court, but just with leadership and being able to speak up and help out. It’s good to have that continuity.”
With all 15 men healthy, plus four camp invitees, the Thunder has the ability to start installing the offensive and defensive systems that Donovan and the coaching staff have put together. After spending the summer studying film, analyzing the game and looking at each player’s game both individually and within the team framework, the coaching staff was prepared to start the first lesson plan. Thanks to their own dedication over the past few months, the players were ready to receive that message.
“It felt great,” Durant said. “Everybody was focused and locked in on what coach wants us to do. It was a good start. We have to build on it.”
The Thunder will practice again tonight as a part of one of their two-a-day sessions this week, then again on Wednesday morning. Be sure to check back to okcthunder.com tonight and throughout the week for more coverage.