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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 28, 2018

Jerami Grant

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Q. Have you thought about free agency at all? What's your mentality going into that?
JERAMI GRANT: No, the season just ended. I haven't really thought about it too much, but I do love it here.

Q. What do you think about just the progress you made, you have made over the two years here, even just over the course of the season?
JERAMI GRANT: I think it's a testament to just the staff here, working with Mike Davis a lot and Adrian Griffin. I think they did just a great job of getting me better. Obviously I had to put the time in, but they did a great job with just moving me forward.

Q. Obviously you're better from a skill perspective, but are you like a more confident player now than you were when you first started here?
JERAMI GRANT: Yeah, I think my confidence comes from my work, so the more work I put in, the more confident I am on the court.

Q. Do you have any idea like what -- you say you haven't thought about free agency, but there's got to be some pure emotion about that. Is it exciting, nerve-racking? What is it to you?
JERAMI GRANT: I don't know. I really haven't thought too much --

Q. You're thinking about it right now; what do you feel?
JERAMI GRANT: I guess you could say it's exciting. I don't know. I'm not sure.

Q. Did you ever surprise yourself this season with some of the things you were able to do, developing that lefty drive and just doing some things that we hadn't seen from you in previous seasons?
JERAMI GRANT: No, not really surprised. I think most of the things I do on the court in the game or I did this year, I practiced, so I wasn't really surprised with it. I was just happy that it turned out the right way.

Q. What took you until this season -- you say you practiced these things. What took you until this season for it to all come together in a game setting?
JERAMI GRANT: I guess more confidence, more aggression, just playing more downhill, just being more aggressive.

Q. Are you ever going to be in the dunk contest?
JERAMI GRANT: They haven't invited me yet.

Q. What's the off-season like for Jerami?
JERAMI GRANT: Just take a little break, probably get back to it not too long from now, start working out soon.

Q. Will you work out with Vic at all?
JERAMI GRANT: Yeah, definitely. I definitely will work out with Vic. Right now he got a Game 7 coming up. But yeah, soon.

Q. I'm not sure if we've asked you about this. What do you think about the improvement that he made this year?
JERAMI GRANT: He's been huge. I mean, obviously. I mean, he's been this good, though. A lot of people haven't been able to see it, but he has been this good. He put a lot of work in to show everybody what he can do.

Q. We were talking to Carmelo about his role this season, and he was pretty candid about not wanting to come off the bench and his feelings about his role. That was something that he never really revealed to us, kind of his frustration with his role this season. In the conversations you had with him, being the guy who kind of took some of his minutes in the postseason, how did that relationship go between you guys this season?
JERAMI GRANT: I mean, Melo is a great guy. We always talk off the court about whatever it is. I mean, he's a great guy. I don't really know what you're asking.

Q. I guess I should be more specific. It seemed like he throughout the season was comfortable or expressed to us that he was comfortable in the role he was in, and then today he kind of went in a different direction and said, I wasn't comfortable staying in the role the Thunder wanted me to be in, whether it's like spot-up shooter or having the ball in his hands less. Was it comfortable in the locker room, was it comfortable with you, was it comfortable with the other guys on the team in terms of his role?
JERAMI GRANT: Yeah, definitely. I think he did a good job of just being a team player this year. I think that's really -- he made a sacrifice this year, obviously, him being in New York he's always been the main guy on his team, so I think he just made a sacrifice, and he did a good job of being a team player.

Q. Talk about your friendship with Paul and how that evolved over the course of the season.
JERAMI GRANT: Paul is a great guy. We definitely got a friendship. We're real close, joke around a lot. Just being goofy a lot of times.

Q. Do you have any discussions with him about the choice he has to make coming up this summer?
JERAMI GRANT: No, no. We don't really talk about that. Just -- ultimately it's his decision. Regardless of whatever he wants to do, I'm supportive.

Q. What was it like having a relationship with Russell, because from everything we've read and heard about Russell, he likes to keep a close-knit group, and Russell talks about you like you're a guy he has a good rapport with. What is it like to have that kind of relationship with him?
JERAMI GRANT: It's great. Obviously just being close with him, joking around, doing the same things, me, him, Paul, Melo, everybody. I mean, it's nothing really to describe. It's just a friendship, as you and your friends would be.

Q. As you look at the six-game series, the 82-game season that you just had, as a team, what are some areas heading into next year you feel like as a group, here are the areas we really need to capitalize on and get better on as a group?
JERAMI GRANT: I think the biggest thing would be staying consistent. We showed a lot of flashes this year, I think, being able to put it together for 82 games, plus the Playoffs. I think that would be the biggest thing for us, staying consistent.

Q. Any off-season expectations for Spaghetti Freddie?
JERAMI GRANT: Ooh, Spaghetti Freddie. No, I'll probably take a vacation here or there, figure everything out.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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