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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 28, 2018

Andre Roberson

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Q. How's the rehab process going?
ANDRE ROBERSON: It's coming along. You know, getting better day by day. Happy to be back on my feet and walking those stairs.

Q. How difficult was watching the last few weeks of the season with you not being involved and this team not being able to be consistent and achieve what you thought it could?
ANDRE ROBERSON: I mean, it's definitely hard to watch, but what this organization is about being resilient, and I thought our guys did a great job of continuing to battle and continuing to fight each and every night to kind of get it right and pick up the slack. And I feel like Corey came in and did a great job for the amount of time he was put under, came in, filled the shoes, and the season didn't end the way we wanted it to, but hopefully we can bring back the core guys and use that as motivation to come back stronger next year.

Q. What was it like watching them, just being out for so long, just purely emotional? What was that like?
ANDRE ROBERSON: I mean, it was definitely tough to watch. It was kind of frustrating. I'm kind of mad at myself, just kind of figuring out ways I could have prevented it from happening, but I was also telling myself, everything happens for a reason. I'm a firm believer in that, and later on in life we'll figure out why. Just got to take the time to focus on it and get it right, come back stronger next year.

But the games we were losing is definitely frustrating, especially in the Playoffs. We were talking smack, but I'm not a big fan of other guys talking smack to our guys. We're always going to have our back. It was just frustrating I couldn't be out there to help them.

Yeah, we'll grow from this, get stronger, come back stronger next year.

Q. Do you feel like on some level, the fan talk, what you do is so subtle, for the casual fan to see, to hear the fan talk behind that, so many people -- it became extremely obvious how important your presence was, especially defensively, when you were out. Does that mean anything that that pendulum has kind of swung?
ANDRE ROBERSON: I mean, I guess for the average fan, I guess it kind of helps them, but for people that really understand the game of basketball, kind of seen it already and kind of appreciate the only guys I was really worried about were the guys in our locker room, the guys in this organization. They really knew and really understand what I brought to the table.

I guess you could kind of say it was an eye opener and helped open the eyes for the average fan of the NBA, but I don't really get into all that. I go out there and do my job and fight for my team to be honest.

Q. Obviously things didn't end the way you wanted them to. Paul kind of mentioned what it was like playing with you. Do you hope the team you were at the end before you went out is something the guys will think about when they make their decisions?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Definitely, man. There was crazy potential there. I think we kind of finally started to figure it out, figured out how to play off of each other, and things were clicking. The unfortunate thing happened. I feel like guys did a great job throughout the year picking up the slack and kind of growing as a team and kind of getting it together.

I think we all kind of see what kind of things we need to put forward to kind of get better in that aspect when somebody does go down, not just me in particular, but it's a game of injuries, you never know when somebody goes down, hopefully it's not for a long period of time. But we've got to figure out how to pick up this area what we need to get cleaned up, or just stuff like that. It was definitely a great learning experience.

Q. When you're out there watching, is there something that you've seen that you may not have realized in the thick of the season?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Not really. I mean, I did sit out four weeks prior to. I mean, just kind of looked at things from like a coach's perspective to kind of see how I could mend the relationship of player-coach, what they're trying to get at, what the players see, what they're out there feeling, and just stuff like that, kind of helped me out. Just talking to the coaching, scouting-report-wise, just little things here and there, just kind of relaying it to certain guys.

But it was definitely a cool experience seeing it from a different perspective, being in the back, watching it on TV to being on the sideline with the guys. It was definitely special and a blessing I'll never take for granted.

Q. With that in mind, you might have an understanding of kind of the direction the league is heading, how things are changing. As you look at this team as a whole, particularly defensively, what are maybe some of the specific things you guys will have to heading into next season be really good at and really kind of tight and together on the defensive end in order to be successful?
ANDRE ROBERSON: We've got to be committed. Every game, every quarter, things might change. Schemes might change, how we guard a certain player. We've just got to stay committed to it even if they score once and we feel bad, just trust and believe in the system. We'll be all right. For the most part, our guys did that.

It's just hard on the defensive end when one of your top guys goes out, trying to say that as humbly as possible, but just the burden -- not the burden, but like the impact and the slack that some of the guys have to pick up in order to keep it going. It's just recognizable I guess you could say. I don't know, we've just got to get better with that and keep moving forward. I think we did a great job this year. We were top five for quite some time there and slipped up a little bit during the break and jumped back up there, so it was good. It was good.

Q. It was a tough process you were dealing with, and I know now you're talking about this experience being a blessing and you kind of seem a little invigorated. What's your perspective like right now?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Just trying to stay positive, like I said before. It's tough times, especially watching the team losing the way we did, how we did, the talent we had. It's definitely frustrating, but just staying positive and trying to see the silver lining in everything. For me, I need to be a lot better, won't have to worry about it anymore. Just come back stronger. I've got a lot of time to work on my game, my craft, and my body and my mind, as well. Right now is probably the toughest part, just trying to stay sane. It's good.

Q. What have you been able to work on besides the stuff to strengthen your knee? What have you been able to work on basketball-wise?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Right now, not really much. I do a lot of form shooting, but right now it's more of a period of mental state and things I can work on. I've been talking with a lot of guys in terms of how to approach things, staying positive and just becoming that leader, vocal leader, some things I've always been kind of shy to. But you know, I have to grow into that role as I get older in this league and just talking with certain guys, bringing in different people to come help with that along the way has definitely been helpful. I've got a lot of time, so haven't been doing much.

Q. What are your limitations right now? What are the things you still can't do physically?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Run. That's one of my favorite things to do is run. As you guys probably saw, I just started stairs. I'm getting better with that and getting my quad back. Atrophy is an MFer, so it's good. It's just a process, and I'm enjoying every bit of it.

Q. Is there like a goal or a target date that you'd like to be able to run, play, return, whatever?
ANDRE ROBERSON: I mean, we've got a timeline set out of when I'll start everything, so like five months I'll start a running progression, so about another month. But hopefully my goal is to be back by the beginning of next season, playing fully and carefree I guess you could say. When guys first come back, they're kind of scared to do things on the leg, but I'm preparing myself now, like I said, with the mental state of coming back and not having to worry about that right away.

Q. Will you talk to Paul at all and be vocal in your pitch as to when you guys were playing together, the impact you made on the floor? You guys went on a good little run there right before you got injured. Is there something you'll talk to him about?
ANDRE ROBERSON: I mean, I think he kind of knows that already. I just like to let guys be free, make their own decisions. Of course I want him to stay. He would be a great addition to this team, as he is already. But it's up to him. I mean, everybody lives their life. They've got to live with their own decisions. I'm going to do my best. I'm always going to be there for him if he chooses to stay or not. I'll still be close friends with him, the relationship we've formed over the years is going to last a lifetime. If it doesn't work out, it's not the end of the world, but if it does, I'll be happy for sure.

Q. You said you've been talking to some guys in terms of getting advice on how to be a leader. Who have some of those guys been?
ANDRE ROBERSON: You know, we bring in a couple guys. Ms. Sanges (phonetic) is one of them. She's on the staff here. As well as -- he comes in and out, Trevor, one of my good guys that I speak to, and my dad is a mentor, as well. Just trying to stay focused on the small things, little things that life brings to you. Just stuff like that.

Q. I know you take a lot of pride in your defense. Do you believe had you stayed healthy, do you believe you would deserve (indiscernible)?
ANDRE ROBERSON: I mean, I always think I'm deserving, but I also know that's a political game. So yeah.

Q. When you look at Terrance's rookie year, he seems to have a lot of tools that could be helpful for this team.
ANDRE ROBERSON: I think Terrance did a great job for us, man. When he came in, when I went down, he had a hell of a game, excuse my language, in LA, and kind of showed what he can be in the future. He got a lot of growing to do in terms of working on his body, getting ready, but he has a big summer ahead, and he'll be good for it. Be scared for us next year. It'll be good.

Q. Was it tough for you to watch Donovan Mitchell do what he did, and are you looking forward to guarding him next year?
ANDRE ROBERSON: Oh, yeah, I'm definitely excited. Can't wait, put it that way. Definitely wasn't a fan, but he's a heck of a player. Don't take anything away from him. Probably one of the best rookie seasons I've ever seen. But when it comes to my guys, next year will be fun.

Q. What was your favorite moment of the season? What was the highlight of the season for you?
ANDRE ROBERSON: To see us all clicking finally, playing the right way, playing for each other. That was definitely the most fun, most joyful basketball when nobody really cared who scored. Whoever got the credit, got the credit. That's the way basketball should be played. I would say that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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