OKC Thunder: ‘Resiliency’ dominates Sam Presti 5 media takeaways

OKC Thunder executive Sam Presti held his annual media session with ‘resiliency’ the hot button word of the day.

As has become the custom of the past 12 years of the OKC Thunder franchise, each campaign is kicked off with Sam Presti’s opening media session. Not since the franchise first moved to Oklahoma City has the executive vice president entered a season not expecting to be vying for the playoffs and a potential championship.

For such a young franchise the Thunder are unique. Few squads begin their NBA tenure with so much success as we recently noted. Nor is it common for a club to immediately develop and establish a culture and identity as the OKC Thunder so clearly has.

But as the Thunder begin their 13th campaign in the National Basketball Association, the team is in its first true rebuilding phase. That alone makes this year unique, but then factor in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and how it has altered the world in every capacity.

Rookies will arrive in camp without the benefit of a summer league and months spent with coaches to prepare for training camp. Many of the players arriving in OKC are new and some of them haven’t played organized ball since last March. And, due to surging cases of COVID-19, fans will not be in attendance as the season starts at Chesapeake Arena.

With these realities in mind, the bespeckled head man of the OKC Thunder met with media via Zoom to offer up his thoughts and answer questions prior to the 13th campaign of the club.

OKC Thunder executive Sam Presti annual media session launches 13th year

For Sam Presti, this situation isn’t new. He’s led the franchise from its infancy and been there for every success and failure. The executive VP has constructed a sports franchise that is among the very best in terms of their success on the court but more importantly off the hardwood.

Yet, as the 13th season looms, this is unheralded territory the Thunder are entering. Even when the team first arrived in OKC they did so with a young Kevin Durant and recently drafted Russell Westbrook. They were young but success would come swiftly and be prolonged.

This year as the Thunder reconvenes they do so without two-thirds of the roster who were the clutch time killers of 2019-20. Their head coach of the past five seasons is gone and the longest-serving member of the team has just three seasons under his belt. Times are changing – indeed.

With that in mind, Sam Presti took to his virtual Zoom media podium to address the media and answer questions regarding the next phase for the franchise.