OKC Thunder Full Media Availability | Post Game vs Charlotte Hornets | February 2, 2024

OKC Thunder Full Media Availability | Post Game vs Charlotte Hornets | February 2, 2024

Thunder uh Chad what’ you like best about the start of this game and the mentality that you guys showed from the very outset um we came out uh with a lot of respect uh for this specific game and the opponent um knowing that this is the NBA

And uh there’s a lot of great teams in this league so uh we couldn’t take anybody lightly and uh we came out with uh focus and intensity and um had a great start to the game Jay will was just telling us about the great camaraderie that the two of you have and

Um kind of the competitiveness that you guys have had uh from the start what have you made of his growth from year 1 to year two and um what stands out to you about that um just like anybody else on this team uh Jay will works extremely

Hard at what he does and uh he finds a lot of different ways to get better um game to game week to week season a season like you’re talking about and uh you know his Improvement has been huge um not only for himself but also for the

Team uh you know he’s uh one heck of a winning player and um you know it’s great to be able to go out there and play with him J earlier this week Mark kind of compliment you on how you play the pick and rooll defensively and mention that it’s especially impressive

Due to how different this style of defense is in the pick and roll how is it different from what you’ve done previously what do you mean by that he was talking about like the switches and the assignments are a little bit different in this scheme than than what

Is more traditional and he was impressed with my switching ability yeah in the pi okay um just trying to do whatever coach asks of me and and do it at an effective level uh obviously I have a long ways to go um with that part of the game um but

You know a lot of it comes down to just effort intensity and and trying to make the right play and uh you know you’re not always going to it’s not always going to go your way but uh you know if you stick with it um usually it ends up

In your favor so um I’m just trying to make winning plays and and you know coach trusts me to make those type of plays plays um so uh I got to go out there and kind of return that Chad uh he didn’t get there but Shay was in the

Range of a 5×5 tonight which not a lot of guards uh he didn’t get rebounds and uh he didn’t get blocks right okay um but but three blocks um not many guards ever get into that even this kind of territory I just wonder what it says to

About the the the number of ways he impacts a game uh he’s just a winning player um you know he’s in year six or seven whatever it is and um you know there’s some guys who’ve been around for like 20 years so saying he’s been around for a long time

Um relative to myself uh you know he’s been around a long time and uh throughout that time he’s always found different ways to be a winning player um you know he’s a winning player in all aspects of what he does when he goes out there on the floor and uh he understands

That you can’t just be a winning player on one side of the floor so you know he puts a lot of effort and intensity and detail into the defensive side as well and and it shows not only in the stats but also um you know within the game

Flow you know he’s out there making winning plays Mark also talked about the his his skill at just leveraging his gravity uh and what he creates and making those decisions when the defense reacts to him have you seen him even in the time you’ve been around him just

From watching last year to playing with him have you seen him grow as a as a playmaker yeah 100% um with anything in the NBA uh you know as you get good at something teams are going to scheme and make adjustments to try and make you uncomfortable or put

You in a position that you’re not used to or you’re not as good and um I think he’s at the point where he’s seen all of those adjustments and um you know once he kind of sees it sees what the other team’s trying to do he knows how to take

Advantage of that and um you know he does a great job of trusting us out there um as well to um make the right play when he makes the right play you know and uh you know that that’s huge for our team and and as a team we’re going to continue to get

Better with that but um you know he’s made a lot of improvement with that as well Galla mentioned your relationship with Jay will but he’s the first one to sub in for you most times sometimes you guys will be paired together what do you think it is or how would you explain how

You guys complement each other’s games um I would just say it comes down to we’re both winning basketball players we out there trying to make winning plays um neither of us are uh out there playing for anything but trying to win so um you know we’re out there rebounding together

Playing defense together moving the ball on offense together shooting passing um you know and when we’re out there together there’s always a little extra juice to um do good so we can play more together you know cuz it doesn’t happen um you know all the time or super

Consistently but when it does happen uh you know we really want to play well within that and then you have the rising stars challenge coming up soon you’re going to be there with Cas and Jay dub um they’re going to draft the teams apparently between the rookies and

Sophomores would you rather be on the same team as those guys or would you rather compete against them I’d always love to play with those guys you played a half a season you watched Shay what he was going through not having played a a half seon with him

And you kind of understand the just the physical nature of it is it even more impressive what kind of he goes through that you kind of uh it’s definitely impressive because um obviously January we had a lot of games um and he just keeps going like it’s nothing you know shrugging off you

Know whatever uh amount of load he has to carry uh in terms of minutes or um uh just possessions where he’s either primary Defender primary ball handler whatever it might be um and then also mentally he just um super consistent through all of it um and knowing how

Much of a roller coaster uh an NBA season is now that I’ve kind of really gotten into it um it’s very impressive and um you know I’m trying to learn from it as much as I can which is tough for the phys physical part or the mental

Part you think um they kind of go together uh cuz it’s it’s a lot easier to get frustrated or um like everybody knows when you’re tired you’re a little more cranky you know so um that happens to NBA players too uh but I guess not him he’s uh

Always happy gol lucky and um you know always bringing the mood of the team up if that makes sense so following up on the J Will questions um see most of the times that you come off the floor and he’s not coming in the game he’s the

First one to come to you whether that’s look it looks like saying keep your head up or whatever or just high-fiving you or whatever what’s that what’s it like to have a guy like that just in your corner the first one always to come come to you when you’re coming off the floor

Uh I mean it’s always great um to have great teammates around you and you know I try to reciprocate that too um and you know cheer him on and pick him up when he needs it uh and I feel like what goes around comes around

With that and uh uh not only me and Jay will but us as a team as a unit all together you know we do a really good job of picking each other up um seems like Shay just keeps on racking up all these different deals with these clothing brands when talking about like

Fashion icons in the history of the NBA uh Mike Iverson Kobe Russ where do you think Shay Stacks up this early in his career Um I think by the time he retires he’ll be the goat and then is it like effortless or can you tell that he he cares about it like oh he cares but like he’s also he also like plays it super smooth you know what I mean so like but like you could

Tell he cares you know yeah never seen him like I wear Nike TCH every day never seen and anything obviously he’s a Converse guy but you know he’s got a fit on everywhere he goes so some of them are more calm than others but like never slacking with it yeah last

One dra just earlier you were mentioning just as players get good in this league um teams start to try different things and scheme for them um you know now that you could look back at January um does it feel like um January was one of those periods where teams were trying to

Figure out and maybe throwing stuff that you hadn’t seen at you oh um I wouldn’t say we we saw anything in January that we didn’t see before January yeah yeah I mean I wouldn’t I wouldn’t say teams through anything like in terms of adjustments kind of directed towards me

If that makes sense I think that’s what you’re kind of talking about I I still think everything we saw in January we’d seen before that but kind of with the lack of ability to practice and do this and do that it’s hard to um as a team like communicate and um practice

Scheming against some of those things so um a lot of it were like working on things in real live games and stuff so um you know and Shay’s played long he was talking about Shay and the adjustments he has to make Shay’s played long enough where he’s been able to see

All those adjustments and improve against them and I feel like that’s kind of the stage that I’m in where I’m seeing what teams are throwing at us as a team um and I’m kind of figuring it out within that uh you know how the the best

Way to play against that um and try to win is so thank you chck good night Lou Mark said that this was a very professional approach to the game that you guys had uh what did you like best about maybe the the opening you know five six

Minutes and the way that you guys put your foot down from the start uh I want to say just the mentality I mean we didn’t really play our records we just went out there and play hard and and do everything to win the game um I know we

We trick one a couple games ago in Detroit just cuz we didn’t come in with them the right mindset so you know tonight was just a a z00 mentality and went out there and played hard and win the game L part of that fast start was K

Wallace played with a lot of intensity defensively what have you seen from him as kind of a tone Setter on that end uh he’s been doing a great job I mean just knowing that he’s out there especially with me I know that you know it’s so comfortable just to switch and I know

He’s gonna bring a lot of energy so he’s been doing a great job you know I feel like he’s getting better every game and you know I’m just I’m just happy to play with him on the court you guys came out uh extremely hot on the defensive end tonight um Shay had

Five Steals and three blocks in the first half alone just what you think about you guys’s effort on that in the floor yeah just um main thing was to play hard and and then do everything to get a stop and and run and transition and you know and score so you know

Credit to he’s been doing a great job you know just being uh aggressive and then having good hands you know just to to to good way to read the guys and get getting those Steals and those just brings a lot of intensity you know what

I mean just us you know run the floor so so it was great L Shay was just in here the other night um being asked about whether he has ever considered chasing you know 50 60 points that that type of deal and by half tonight he was pretty

Close to a 5×5 just were you guys aware of that at all and with stuff like that are you kind of nudging him to maybe push for that I ain’t going to lie to you I wasn’t aware I wasn’t aware but you know those those are numbers I mean

He’s he’s on the court a lot he’s doing a lot of great stuff so like those numbers are going to come at some point you know he’s going to get 50 it’s it’s it’s coming definitely and um you know he’s he’s just out there playing playing

The game the right way you know I don’t think we didn’t really I didn’t really see it honestly I don’t think he did either so no he’s just out there playing game the right way he’s uh just to be in that mix to

Try to get a like like to be close to a 5×5 that’s affecting the game in so many ways I just wonder what you’ve seen from him in your time with him just in in the change and how much he can how many different ways he impacts games outside

Of his scoring n yeah he’s he’s doing it all first of all he’s really vocal just defensive side you know just calling the coverages and all that too so like I said just he being aggressive it just feeds off on the other guys on on the

Team one just our best player doing that and and also it’s it’s great that he’s so good at this and he he does it a lot so we can run and transition Mark also talked about just using his leverage using his gravity letting defense come to him and determine where the ball goes

From there how how much that can get you guys activated what what does it mean for you guys for your for your offense when so much attention goes there and he’s really just to to to read the game get open find Windows I mean he’s he has

So much attention to him just because he’s been doing a great job this this this season so um for us is just finding windows and really get open and then if we open just shoot it Lou you’ve talked a lot about your relationship and friendship with Shay I

Just want to ask you with him now being named an All-Star starter all NBA first team last year what’s been your impression of things like that the work that he’s put in and just your overall feelings on his rise in the league to Super Start him um I mean none changed

On mind I mean I just seen I seen the work you know I know how hard he worked and like honestly from the first time I seen him and I I competed against him I knew he was going to get there at some point and now I’m

Just I’m just happy that that he’s there and you know he’s in there to stay you know he’s he’s damaging he’s doing a lot of damage in this lead right now so I’m just really happy for him you guys are right on the verge of of getting you

Know of Mark being the All-Star Game coach was is something that matters to you guys would you guys like to send him there definitely I mean that’ll be cool you know we we we ruin for our coach definitely um how how does that work like he’s how does he get the first if

You’re number one seat uh number one seat as of like Sunday though it stops the cut off is I think Sunday well yeah that’ll be great I mean I’ll definitely watch you know I won’t be there I’ll support my my my my guys is going to be

There but um no that’ll be great if he goes thank you Luk Nick Gallow kissy Thunder uh Jaylen Mark was just saying that he feels like the game has definitely slowed down for you uh from year one to year two and um how do you feel like that’s helped you get your athleticism into the game even

More than last year and um you know be more anticipatory on things yeah um it definitely has uh the Tendencies of the game um the speed of the game everything is different from college and just having a year in my built I feel like I’ve learned a lot and also just playing

With my teammates I know how they’re going to play I know who’s going to get over screens and I trust them and they trust me and it’s making the game a lot easier um jayw coming into or last year you car out a niche for yourself taking

A lot of chargers you became the charge guy that that’s what a lot of people know you for this year you’ve really expanded your role and become like a staple of the rot ation what exactly has gone into that of you just showing off more of your game and how excited are

You going forward to show more off yeah um I think always for me it’s just been doing the things that get me on the court and regardless to what it is if it’s taking charges or just turning to basketball I’ve always been willing to do those things and this year has been

Blocking the shots and doing things the same things just a little bit more Jay will tomorrow kri Williams gets another Jersey start at TCU what does he meant to you just as a person and kind of what do this impact like just on an overall organization yeah that’s our

That’s our vet and K Rich sets the tone regardless of what it is he’s always going to be the same guy that brings energy talking crap High ey shooting games whatever it is he’s going to talk and uh kri has set the tone ever since I’ve been

Here most of the time when uh Chad walks off the floor you’re there like the first one that whether it’s he misses a shot or whether it’s something positive like seems like you’re always the first one there either tell him to keep his head up or like give him a high five or

Anything and what’s that relationship like with with you two guys yeah I think I think it started from the beginning just us being competitive uh the first day that we saw each other after we got drafted first thing we talked about was the Arkansas Gonzaga game and he was

Like let’s play ones and I was like let’s go do it and we’ve kind of always just been pushing each other and I know how great of a player he is he he changes the game on both side of the court for us and I know that he impacts

It and I just always tell him like keep doing your thing and try to keep him going who the Arkansas kaga no we we we haven’t played Chay will you’ve been really good just as a high post Creator when did that kind of passing ability come into

Your game just as a basketball player um I’ve always loved passing my whole life uh it was kind of just been a fun thing for me my dad always taught me to play the game the right way and passing is one of those things you get off the ball

If you need to and it’s just fun making those passes and Coach trust me to make those passes a lot of time anybody else than y all right okay see Thunder uh Mark seemed like your group from the very outset uh throughout that first half had great energy what

Did you make of the approach uh your guys had coming in uh I thought we had a very professional approach today um we knew that there a heavy help team that can kind of swallow the ball up uh if you play Slow against them and I thought

Our team did a really good job of attacking them moving the ball side to side keeping the ball ahead of their defense we had great physicality earlier in the game uh on the defensive side of the ball and you know we don’t take a win for granted I mean I thought we went

Out there really earned the game uh especially in the first half of that game to build that type of lead what kind of development have you seen from Jay will this season um it seems like his athleticism is into the game he’s uh more effective yeah I think um the game

Slowed down from him on both ends which is expected for uh second-year player I think you know one thing you can underestimate is how fast the game moves for a player that’s never played in an NBA game before um Mich is a good um you know example of that because he’s a guy

That’s played a lot of basketball and it’s still an adjustment for him you know he’s played the highest level of basketball other than the NBA and so um you know then apply that thinking to a 19-year-old 20-year-old you know it’s fast uh he’s done a great job he’s done

A great job with his body um I think he’s done a great job with his defensive fundamentals uh his Rim protection you’re seeing the shot blocking and and shot altering he’s mixing that in with the charges this year which was something that we had worked on with him

Or that he had worked on um he’s playing really well for us right now you guys came came out uh extremely on fire on the defensive end Shay had five steals three blocks in the first half Alone um what you think about you guys’ effort just on that end of the

Floor tonight coming out yeah we knew um with Miller and Washington and bridges that we had to have great physicality on the ball and we had to be really tight in our help and I thought we set that tone from the onset of the game I

Thought uh the stuff they got was earned and contested especially early on it was a team defense uh we did a good job cleaning up the glass in the first half as well um and that set the tone for our offense to a 5 by five but he was

Flirting with it and not a lot of guards in the history of the league are able to get you know that kind of a a numerical sort of game um I just wonder you know obviously he scores a lot but but what that says about all the ways he impacts

A game yeah and he’s like rounded that out over time you know it’s impressive how he’s improved um you know the Steels has been an ongoing thing the blocks has been an ongoing thing but his defense has improved every single year he’s been in the NBA bless you and um the uh

Offensive end I thought tonight he was really on one early like he had as good of a blend of his play and plays for other guys uh as he’s as he’s having you know all season he had an unbelievable balance there in the first half of the

Game when you talk about being onone uh you know a lot of times you think of that in terms of scoring but did you see that from the from a playmaking standpoint yeah that’s what I mean I mean he was like great Pace great aggression um you know got his scoring

In but also just let the game tell him what to do and made the early play I think the hardest balance for a guy like him is he wants his teammates to do well I think there’s a tendency sometimes to like try to activate them by like

Throwing ahead but the best thing he can do for the team is leverage the advantage and and leverage his Gra it and he’s got to be aggressive first to do that and then let the game tell him what to do I thought he did that at

About as high a level as a player can do in the first you know half of that game and then one more if I if I can do you have All-Star Game plans and have you thought about the possibility that you will be at the All-Star Game yeah I I

Mean I’ve been made aware of the possibility uh it’s not altering my decision-making uh in terms of how I’m coaching the games at all right now Mark as much as we talked about you know how grueling January was um how surprising may not surprising to you but surprising

Maybe to the general public of the the effort you guys gave the other night after that type of month just how comforting is tonight you know being on 38 half just the way the game unfolded yeah I mean the score is what it was but I thought you know we played with really

Really good you know intention and Pace uh and physicality in the first half of that game we I I was really impressed by the approach uh that we took to the game tonight um we had the mentality that we needed to go earn the game and and we

Did that and so um very very impressed by the team never take a win for granted um guys did a great job of preparing um and it also you know allowed us to get some gas back in the tank with minutes we you know able to keep minutes down

Today which was good because we turn around play again on Sunday markco the last couple years your team has consistently just progressed gotten better and better what has been the harder challenge to climb up the mountain or sort of just staying towards the top where you guys are now and sort

Of unfamiliar Waters compared to the last few years I mean the the best thing about what we’ve done you know I think organ organizational and we certainly tried to carry it to the you know team environment and the court is having a set of you know principles and standards

That transcend you know circumstance and so you know whether we were earlier in the build or whether you know we’re obviously having a good season record-wise um the stuff that we focus on is consistent it’s the same stuff um that we’ve always focused on and we try to

Help the players have the most consistent environment uh with that that’s independent of Team context outcome of the game winning streak losing streak um and that’s been the approach it really it hasn’t been easier or harder it’s that’s been you know the the steady hum that we’ve tried to

Create you have a better feel for with I’m second game with Jaylen and Isaiah Joe out kind of how your rotations you want to be because the other night Lindy got some early minutes and um of course she didn’t shoot very well to start that game tonight she did is that just a

Product of that um yeah I mean it a little bit is you know seeing every circumstance as an opportunity you know and we’d like Jaylen and Isaiah to be available but um if they’re not going to be we try to think about how we can leverage that what we can learn um what

Kind of confidence our team can gain you know individual players a team collectively uh by having to step up and fill obviously a void in the rotation with those two guys out that’s a lot of minutes you know 50 minutes or 50 plus minutes out the door um and so I I think

We’ve done a good job of that we’re learning a little bit we’re taking a look at some different guys different things um and I’ve been impressed by how the guys have responded as well what you think of your Zone you kind of mixed that in a little bit and they hit some

Threes in the second quarter is that a product of that or just they just get hot or do some things go wrong there yeah um I I thought it was pretty good we haven’t done it that much uh in a little while uh for a couple different

Reasons but um I thought we were pretty prepared tonight I thought the communication was really good uh in terms of rotations they run a play that you know requires you to communicate and rotate um and we were able to handle that pretty well I thought it it threw

Them off Rhythm a little bit which it can be effective in doing uh it’s another thing that we need to kind of sharpen and have in our pocket in the case that you know it’s it’s good against a certain matchup or in a game circumstance one more kind of on breett

Do you want to coach the All-Star is that kind of an honor if you get to do that that kind of pleasing I would never like you know I first of all it’s no there’s no guarantee that’s going to happen I would never uh you know St my

Nose at that um I also love the allstar break and time with my family so it’s win-win you yep thanks

Hear from Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort, Jaylin Williams, and Head Coach Mark Daigneault following the Thunder’s 126-106 win over the Hornets.

0:00 Chet Holmgren
10:14 Lu Dort
15:10 Jaylin Williams
17:59 Head Coach Mark Daigneault

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