By Paris Lawson | Broadcast and Digital Reporter | okcthunder.com
After its final game of its two-week Summer League stint, OKC’s Summer League head coach Kameron Woods commended his group for their effort. He wasn’t just acknowledging the on-court effort – competing in eight games over 14 days in two different cities. He was applauding their effort to stick to an intentional mental approach throughout the eight games in order to make the most of the time the group spent together.
“We tried to treat Summer League different,” said Woods. “In order to do that, they had to be a part of that and they really were in terms of their approach to every practice, every game, every film session. We were able to move the needle forward, we were able to play to a certain style for eight games.”
The Thunder entered Summer League with a few very clear objectives to accomplish and they all centered around solidifying and honing its style of play: playing together; competing on both ends of the floor and playing with physicality on each possession. From its first game in Salt Lake City to its final game in Las Vegas, those objectives remained at the core of everything the Thunder did regardless of the opponent or who was in the lineup.
Within those eight games, the Thunder had several chances to put its style of play to the test. Most notably, the team played in three consecutive contests (its final matchup in Salt Lake City and its first two games in Las Vegas) that came down to the final possession and were decided by three points or less. Those final moments proved to be the perfect training ground for the Thunder’s young squad to remain anchored in its principles that it worked to establish up to that point.
“We come into these eight games with a plan of playing together, being competitive, being physical, all these things that we talk about on a team level, and I think [those] close games do nothing but test that,” said Woods. “Test our ability to do those things when it really matters.”
Moving the Needle Forward
The Thunder’s core tenant of playing together shined on the offensive end. Through each game, players buzzed around the floor without the ball, searching for cracks in the defense and gaps in coverage that could lead to an open look. In the very first matchup of Summer League in Utah, that high-level player movement resulted in 11 assists for Thunder sophomore guard Josh Giddey and in OKC’s very last game of Summer League in Las Vegas, the team dished out 19 assists on its 23 made baskets.
“We've had a lot of possessions like that in Summer League – ball movement, player movement, getting guys in advantageous situations, and really being unselfish, sacrificing a look for you to find something for somebody else,” said Woods. “When we play together, everybody looks good, everybody can play within their style and everybody can play within their own game.”
That unselfishness showed up in a big way on the defensive end as well – in the form of charges. Multiple players stepped up to take charges throughout the eight Summer League games. Rookie forward Jaylin Williams led the way in that category as the reining NCAA leaders in charges drawn. It wasn’t just Williams who was getting in on the action. Fellow rookie Jalen Williams drew a few offensive fouls along with sophomore forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and new two-way signee Eugene Omoruyi.
This continued even in the final game of Summer League. In his first game with the team, the final addition to the Thunder’s Summer League roster, Kevin Kangu, stepped over outside of the restricted area to sacrifice his body for a charge with exactly one minute remaining in the Thunder’s Summer League.
“I always attribute those to how much we're playing together and as a unit, because most of the time it's often somebody else getting beat off the dribble. So it's somebody being there to protect them,” said Woods. “That was the mentality we tried to have. Having guys on the floor – regardless of who it is – that play together, play for each other, sacrifice something for the next guy, and I thought they did that throughout the course of Utah and Vegas.”
On an individual level, Summer League means different things to different people. For rookies, it’s a chance to get engrained with your team for the first time. For returners, it could be a chance to build some on-court chemistry or get extra game reps. For others, it’s a chance to showcase their talent in the hopes of securing a spot on an NBA roster. Whatever the case may have been for each of the players on the Thunder’s Summer League roster, those individual goals came second to the overall mission of the team. As a result, the Thunder walked away from Summer League better than when it started.
“I think the biggest thing that I'm proud of is just everybody that was a part of this has gotten better, and everybody has experiences that they can grow through,” said Woods. “Those were the two biggest things we wanted to get out of it – let's see if we can really get better, to use this as an opportunity to get better and use this as an opportunity for everybody to grow through whatever experience happens, good or bad.”