The Oklahoma City Thunder has been very resourceful this offseason, and one thing they're keen on doing is bringing 21 players into training camp to compete for the bottom few roster spots. Of course, three of those are two-way contract players, which are filled by Olivier Sarr, Lindy Waters and Keyontae Johnson.
Bringing so many players into training camp with a team that's young and has much to prove, things are set to be incredibly physical and competitive.
"It's been pretty intense, pretty physical. The practices are tough because they're trying to compete. They're trying to learn the new concepts," Thunder head coach Mark Daigneualt told local media after practice. "They're trying to earn the respect of their teammates, which is an important process. That's how the camp has integrity and I think the guys have done a good job of that so far."
With players like Lu Dort, who bring physicality to any basketball game or practice they're in, creating this environment is easy. Now there's another solid perimeter defender in Cason Wallace who can add another layer of that.
Daigneault alluded to the Thunder "not sneaking up on anybody" this season, which makes sense considering the exclamation mark they left on last season. This competitive environment gives the Thunder the ability to prepare for the challenges the season will bring.
Because the Thunder have such a competitive environment, they'll be able to kick off any rust from the offseason and get straight to making contending teams pay when it comes to the early parts of the season, even if the opposition is ready for this Thunder team not to be a rollover team.
The blend of youth and talent makes for a perfect team to play gritty and grind wins out, and establishing that culture as early as training camp is a good recipe for success, and it'll pay dividends as the season rolls around.
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