okcthunder.com

By Nick Gallo | Broadcast Reporter and Digital Editor | okcthunder.com

The theme of gratitude pervades the Thunder locker room. To start the 2021-22 season the team called upon that feeling by spending the first week of training camp at the original practice facility as a reminder of the legacy that was established in Oklahoma City before they arrived.&nbsp;

Gratitude is a regular feature of post-practice discussion among the team, a refrain from head coach Mark Daigneault in interviews and it also happens to be one of the most effective strategies for achieving mental resilience not just for NBA players, but human beings in general.&nbsp;

“We're not trying to build a resilient culture. We're trying to continue a resilient culture,” said Daigneault. “The mentality in the organization that's trickled onto the court is that we're not going to make excuses, we're not going to skip steps and we're going to be grateful for the opportunity to be out here, regardless of how uncertain or imperfect it might seem in a given moment.”

During the course of an 82-game regular season that can be a grind on players, a six-month marathon that tests people on and off the floor, being intentional in helping everyone overcome the challenges in front of them is a major part of the Thunder program. Thanks to coaches and staff members assisting the group throughout the year and players themselves taking charge of their approach, that mental toughness manifested itself in three key ways throughout the 2021-22 campaign.&nbsp;

The most obvious time that a team and its players need to call upon their mental toughness is during the 48-minute battle. Every possession matters and games often come down to a few bounces of the ball. In fact, the Thunder had 25 games last season that were decided by five points or fewer, going 12-13 in those contests. The Thunder also went 4-1 in overtime, which was tied for the 2nd most overtime wins this season. When games get into crunch time, it takes poise and the ability to digest emotion – positive or negative – efficiently, then channeling it in a beneficial way.&nbsp;

“There's just times every single game that you just have to endure,” said Daigneault. “A lot can happen and there's ups and downs. When you're in the downs, you just have to endure it and you got to have the resilience and the fortitude to do so.”

“When a game is like that, it’s getting ourselves centered and getting ourselves back to a place where we can lock back in mentally,” added forward Darius Bazley.

When the Thunder wasn’t already in a back-and-forth game, it was often shaking off a big deficit to make it close in the fourth quarter and even finding a way to win. The Thunder completed 8 comebacks of 15-or-more points last season, tied for the most in the NBA and the third most since the league started tracking in the 1996-97 season. The Thunder had eight more comebacks from at least 10 points down, giving the team 16 total from double digits.&nbsp;

“The thing about this team that I love and I think everyone is gonna grow to love is that we have absolutely no quit in us,” said guard Ty Jerome.&nbsp;

In addition to gratitude, another hallmark of the Thunder’s program has been achieving a “0 and 0 mentality” between games. Instead of resting on the laurels of a previous night’s win or hanging their heads after a loss, the Thunder has been focused on approaching games the same regardless of its own record or the record of its opponent.&nbsp;

The prime example of that mentality paying off came after the Thunder lost by a record 73 points on the road at Memphis on December 2. After a day off to regroup, a high-energy practice back at home and a team flight, the Thunder bounced back and won its next two games at Detroit and Toronto, then went back to Memphis and beat the Grizzlies two weeks later. The Thunder didn’t hide from that initial big loss, nor did it wallow in the disappointment of those 48 minutes.&nbsp;

“It would have been easy to go into our shell or make excuses,” rookie guard Josh Giddey said.&nbsp;

“We did a great job just kind of just moving on to the next day,” added rookie Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. “It's just a part of the story.”

Being able to reset mentally in between games in an extreme situation like after the loss in Memphis is vital, but rare. Much more mundane but equally crucial is the ability to navigate changing circumstances from game to game. Due to injuries, players being assigned to the Oklahoma City Blue and the Thunder’s strategy of stretching their players to help them spread their wings, the Thunder employed 35 different starting lineups last season, the fourth most in the league. Having a different role each night – as a starter, coming off the bench or being out of the rotation can be a challenge, but one that is straightforward to handle with the right mentality.&nbsp;

“It's an opportunity for us to evaluate them in those situations,” said Daigneault. “The guys are doing a good job being adaptive to the different circumstances and we're going to continue to stress test that. We think that there's some value in that.”

Off the court, players dealing with injuries have their own set of mental hurdles to clear during the daily grind of rehab. However, there’s another type of challenge that some players must navigate in order to be a better player on the other side – adapting to new teammates, different coaches and an entirely different set of circumstances by going and back and forth from the Thunder to the Oklahoma City Blue.&nbsp;

The Thunder utilized its G League team as much as any organization in the NBA and got incredible results as players made significant jumps in performance afterward. As the season went along, those adjustments to go back and forth between teams became less difficult and more second nature, even in an assignment that last for weeks the way Aleksej Pokuševski’s did.&nbsp;

The second&nbsp;year forward was charged with the same task as his fellow sophomores – to play a tighter, more efficient style of play in limited minutes. That pressure to operate in a smaller box might have been frustrating if not for the resolve to not let the size of the role or the team name on the jersey impact the ability to perform.&nbsp;

“When I went to the Blue this year, I was solid, but I was thinking about it like a test,” said Pokuševski. “During the season I had ups and downs. I tried to bounce back from that before the All-Star Break and since the All-Star Break on. I’m proud of that. That’s showing me where I’m at.”&nbsp;

After his 21 games with the Blue, Pokuševski returned to play 19 games for the Thunder and averaged 12.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. His field goal shooting rose by five percentage points and 3-point shooting increased by four percentage points after the All-Star Break. Most importantly, Pokuševski demonstrated a level of consistency as a defender, rebounder and playmaker with the Thunder that he hadn’t showed to that point. All five of his career NBA games with at least two blocks and two steals came after February 9, he registered at least five rebounds in 17 of his final 20 games and had at least five assists in seven of the last 10 games he played.&nbsp;

Fellow second&nbsp;year player Théo Maledon found himself in a similar role – needing to be more efficient and impactful in smaller minutes, but the Frenchman’s schedule was less certain night to night than his Serbian teammate’s. Prior to seeing rotation minutes in 30 of 31 games from late January through the beginning of April, Maledon’s playing time was all over the map. Despite playing in the Thunder’s first nine games of the year he then had stretches of eight, four, four and nine straight games where he didn’t see the court.&nbsp;

In the interim, he kept a steady head while playing for the Blue, averaging 23.3 points on 58-percent shooting, including 41.7 percent from 3, to go with 5.3 assists per night. When he did get his chances with the Thunder, Maledon made the most of them, like a 32-second stint at home against New Orleans in mid-December when he played tough defense and tracked down a loose ball on offense to generate a second-chance 3 for a teammate.&nbsp;

The Thunder coaches and staff were in Maledon’s corner throughout the times when he was out of the rotation and even away from the team, but also the moments where he surged, like the final 6 games he played where he racked up 20.5 points on 48-percent shooting as well as 5.5 assists per night. Maledon, who has been praised by Daigneault for his steadiness and stoicism, honed his own internal mental regulation through it all, but also had the support of the Thunder organization to help him keep an even keel.&nbsp;

“They wanted me to succeed so they were always here giving me encouragement,” said Maledon. “I saw it as a challenge as well, to show that I can overcome this.”

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Resilience the Hallmark of Mental Toughness

The inaugural cohort of Thunder Fellows pitch their ideas of innovation in the field of data and analytics.

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Thunder Fellows Capstone

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Math Hoops

In partnership with PGA WORKS, the Thunder Fellows spent a day at the PGA Championship exploring the numerous ways in which students can leverage opportunities in the world of golf.

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Representation Matters

The TBU crew is joined by Thunder broadcaster and NBA veteran Michael Cage for reaction to the Thunder getting the second and twelfth pick in the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery. Paris and Nick also get Cage’s perspective on the Lottery and draft process as a former player. The Thunder Basketball Universe is presented by COOP Ale Works.

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Ep. 43 – Jumping to No. 2

OKLAHOMA CITY,&nbsp;May 18, 2022&nbsp;– Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team for the 2021-22 season,&nbsp;it was announced today by the NBA.&nbsp;

Giddey appeared in 54 games (all starts)&nbsp;this season&nbsp;and averaged 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists on 41.9 percent shooting in 31.5 minutes per game. He led all NBA rookies in assists per game, ranked second in rebounds and seventh in points.&nbsp;

The Australian native became the ninth player since 2000 to earn the first four Rookie of the Month honors and is the 13th player all-time to accomplish the feat since the award’s inception in the 1981-82 season.

Giddey was the only rookie this season to register&nbsp;at least&nbsp;650 points, 400 rebounds and 300 assists and is the fourth-fastest rookie in NBA history to reach those numbers,&nbsp;doing so in only 53 games, behind Oscar Robertson (40), Alvan Adams (50) and Ben Simmons (52).&nbsp;&nbsp;

Giddey became the youngest player to record a triple-double on Jan. 2 vs. Dallas and&nbsp;owns the top-four youngest triple-double performances in NBA history.&nbsp;His four triple-doubles&nbsp;tied Jason Kidd for the sixth-most triple-doubles by a rookie in NBA history. He recorded three consecutive triple-doubles from Feb. 12 – Feb. 16, joining Oscar Robertson as the only rookies in NBA history to record three straight triple-doubles.&nbsp;

Giddey became the 12th player in Thunder history to be named to a Rising Stars team at the 71st NBA All-Star weekend.&nbsp;He becomes the fourth Thunder player to earn NBA All-Rookie team honors.&nbsp;

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Josh Giddey Named to NBA All-Rookie Second Team

Hear from Nick Collison after he represented the organization last night in the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery.

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Thunder Jumps to No. 2

By Paris Lawson | Broadcast and Digital Reporter | okcthunder.com

Thirteen years have passed since the Thunder last selected in the top five in the NBA draft. Since then, 80 percent of the league has had at least one selection in the top five and 50 percent have picked twice in the top five. During the Draft Lottery on Tuesday night in Chicago, the Thunder received the number two overall pick in June’s draft –&nbsp;the organization’s first top five pick since 2009.&nbsp;

The Thunder walked away from the league’s game of chance with two lottery selections including the 12th&nbsp;pick via the Clippers. In addition to its own second round pick and a late first-rounder via trade from the Phoenix Suns, the Thunder’s total cache of picks for the 2022 NBA Draft consists of selections at 2, 12, 30 and 34.&nbsp;

Former Thunder player and current front office member Nick Collison represented the Thunder on stage during the lottery. Though it was Collison’s first time attending the lottery, the 14-year NBA veteran spent a decade as a player in Oklahoma City and significant time within the front office which means he knows exactly what the moment means for the organization and the fans.&nbsp;

“Happy for the fans. Happy for the city. It’s exciting. Happy for the people in the organization,” said Collison. “Obviously you want to pick as high as possible, so it’s exciting for us to get 2. The work for us in the front office will just continue.”

While the team’s two picks in the top 12 and four in the top 34 are unprecedented in Oklahoma City’s history, it’s the clarity that the organization had been itching for. Now that the Thunder has the clear cut information on &nbsp;where it will be picking, the attention now turns to its pre-draft process. That process consists of countless hours of evaluation, numerous workouts and interviews with prospects while also leaning on its team of scouts working tirelessly across the globe locating and identifying talent leading up to the draft in Brooklyn on June 23.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“It's a three-step process. One, you have to find out where you're selecting. Two, you have to make a selection; and three, you have to help develop the player and create an environment for the player,” said Thunder general manager and executive vice president Sam Presti in his pre-lottery press conference.&nbsp;

“Tonight is just the first step of that process for us, which is getting clarity on where we're going to be selecting.”

While the spectacle of the draft and the thrill of the lottery are two coveted events in the NBA calendar and hold significant value for the future of teams and organizations, they are just two of the countless opportunities and touchpoints for the Thunder to develop and improve as a team throughout the season. It’s why back in Oklahoma City, a large portion of the Thunder’s current roster has been in the gym during the offseason working toward their individual growth and development for next season.&nbsp;

“I'm really encouraged by that, as I've said before, at the end of the season a lot of the improvement from our team is going to be coming from inside of our current building and maybe not so much from what happens tonight or in the draft, but I couldn't be more proud of the effort that the guys are showing right now,” said Presti.

In the eyes of the Thunder, the outcome of the lottery is out of its control, but its response to the outcome is what determines its future. For Oklahoma City, regardless of the outcome, the response has always been to roll up its sleeves and get to work. &nbsp;

“As long as we're continuing to operate with the principles of discipline, rationality and persistence, I really think good things are going to happen for us as an organization,” said Presti.

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Draft Lottery Reveals Selections in 2022 Draft

<a href="https://www.nba.com/thunder/live">LIVE NOW | SAM PRESTI END-OF-SEASON MEDIA AVAILABILITY</a>