Why the Thunder is scrimmaging more than ever
This isn’t the 2017 Thunder. Take scrimmaging, for example. Billy Donovan entered last season with an older roster, as well as a trio of players (Russell Westbrook, Andre
Roberson and Patrick Patterson) working its way back from either arthroscopic knee surgery or platelet rich plasma injections. So scrimmaging was limited in camp last year.
Not anymore. Even with Westbrook and Roberson unable to participate in contact, Donovan said the team has scrimmaged “a lot,” to get players acclimated to each other, with emphasis on five-on-five play. Thunder practices and scrimmages are closed to the media.
The Thunder has had five practices — two each on Tuesday and Wednesday and once on Thursday — in three days of preseason camp. Donovan likes drills for being able to target specific areas, but acknowledged that a set drill can often go out of the window when players get into scrimmage settings because of the speed of the game.
“Can you do it when the game’s going on and make quick decisions both offensively and defensively?,” Donovan said. “That’s why we wanted to try to play.”
The team scrimmaged for about 45 minutes on Thursday, then had a post-practice yoga session.
Donovan said the Thunder’s scrimmage plan is closer to what it was in his first two seasons in Oklahoma City. And while the scrimmages aren’t to specifically work certain groups together, Steven Adams, Paul George and Dennis Schroder have played “quite a bit together.”
“I think Dennis being a point guard needs to get comfortable with those two guys because they’re going to be on the floor quite a bit together with Russell being out,” Donovan said.
“I wanted that to happen some. But also, Dennis has to play with Patrick, he’s got to play with Jerami (Grant), he’s gonna have to play with Terrance (Ferguson). I’m less worried about the groupings of who’s playing together, but more like ‘let’s make sure these guys get a chance to play with one another.’”
George, who said the Thunder has been playing together since earlier in the summer at UCLA, believes the team is ahead of where it was last preseason.
“We’re definitely finding that chemistry early,” George said. “I think we’re starting to get an understanding of one another.
“Last year I think we started off kind of banged up and guys came in kind of working through some things. This year, despite Russ and Dre being down, for the most part we’re pretty healthy. So, we’re able to get right to it this year.”