With training camp approximately a month away the OKC Thunder players continue their offseason preparations. The league opens on October 19th while the opener for the Thunder is on the 20th.
For the most part, the roster is set although Sam Presti is likely to make a few tweaks. That said, this year there is bound to be more competition at training camp as players vie for minutes and carve out roles on the squad.
Much like every team is getting all their ducks in a row, so too is the league. It was the fateful night of March 11th, 2020 when everything changed for the NBA. As the OKC Thunder and Utah Jazz prepared to take to the court the game was postponed with news Rudy Gobert had tested positive for COVID-19. Within hours the league suspended the season picking back up in August to finish a truncated season and playoffs in Orlando.
OKC Thunder 2021-22 season will feature new vaccination protocols for staff
Last season teams began playing without any fans in attendance and the Toronto Raptors were even forced to play the entire 2020-21 campaign on the road in Tampa Bay. As vaccines became available and the pandemic got more under control some teams began allowing a limited number of fans back. By the time the playoffs arrived most teams were functioning at full capacity.
That’s not to say there weren’t ongoing issues with players still observing health and safety protocols. For the 2021-22 season the league hopes to function with every team allowing fans back. To help ensure everyone is safe the league announced vaccine mandates for anyone who interacts with players. This includes personnel with direct contact with players such as coaches, trainers, officials as well as team and arena staff.
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Certain teams are already enforcing policies that require all fans over 12-year to provide proof of vaccination. The league can’t enforce the players to be vaccinated. That may change if the Board of Governors and Players Union makes an amendment or comes to a special agreement.
The Raptors are back in Toronto which also begs the question of whether some players won’t play North of the Border. At the moment, anyone entering Canada has to be vaccinated — so players who haven’t been may be forced to miss those matches.
Not to belabor the point, but since the Raptors played all their games on the road last season perhaps this will balance the scales.
As for the OKC Thunder, the team announced they will be thrilled to welcome fans back to the newly named Paycom Center.
Although life isn’t fully back to normal being able to attend games again and experience that thrill of fans all chanting and cheering in concert will definitely feel closer to a semblance of normalcy.