Young guys showing palpable growth
A key point the GM touched on was he feels the break actually helped the Thunder.
‘Our players deserve a tremendous amount of credit. Number one they’re really well-conditioned. They’ve been excellent in terms of just keeping themselves in shape and maintaining their health… It’s put them in a really strong position to come down here and have continuity.”
Presti went on to state several players have ‘clearly gotten better’. In this regard, he specifically highlights youngsters Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley, and Hamidou Diallo. We’ve been getting that feedback from the post-practice media sessions, so this is emulating those comments, but Presti seldom makes statements that aren’t measurable so let’s take that to the bank. Now, we’re all anxious to see that scrimmage tomorrow right?
Touts Donovan for Coach of Year:
It’s not surprising Presti would back his bench boss for Coach of the Year. After all, he hired Donovan and kept him last season when the failure to advance past the first round left questions whether he was able to adapt in the postseason or if he had lost the locker room.
Instead, Donovan bounced back stronger than ever proving his ability with youngsters specifically and in a situation where the best player was willing to listen and work with him.
Presti knows this award will go to Nick Nurse (and should) but he’s not wrong that Donovan deserves credit and should be one of the three finalists nominated. That’s clear if you dive into the nuances of ‘Presti-speak’…
“I’m not usually one for individual awards, but I really think that he needs to be heavily considered to be Coach of the Year.”
If Presti had said he’s earned it or been more effusive I’d say he believes Donovan should win it, but again what Nurse has done with the fifth most man-games lost due to injury on top of losing Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green is remarkable.
That said, when asked to provide more detail Presti noted Donovan’s three point guard offense. He also spoke to how quickly Donovan was able to integrate Chris Paul into the system. Adaptability was credited in terms of reimagining how to use players like Steven Adams who he’d worked with for years but found new inventive ways to capitalize on the big man’s production.
And in spite of all the accolades when asked if discussion on re-signing Donovan would occur in Orlando, Presti gave his stock answer of dealing with their current focus of the season restart and playoffs and addressing the contract afterward.