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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 24, 2018

Patrick Patterson

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Q. Patrick, one of the off-season mantras from Sam and Billy is they'd like to play faster, up-tempo, and they've talked about how you can help that, not necessarily because of foot speed but ball speed. You're one of the better ball movers. Can you talk about how that's a skill that you have that could increase the tempo of this team even if you're not one of the fastest guys around?
PATRICK PATTERSON: Yeah, just about trying to get the basketball from one side to the other, get the basketball up the court as quickly as possible with my passing ability and being able to find guys out on the court, not necessarily literally pushing in transition or having to shoot the ball but just trying to find the right opportunity for a teammate to take advantage of, whether it's off a drive or whether it's off a quick post-up or whether it's just passing it that leads to an assist or an opportunity for another shot. I can understand Coach wants to get more shots earlier into the shot clock, but just trying to find better opportunities for us earlier in the shot clock, and that internally will create more looks throughout the course of the game and give us an opportunity to put up more points.

Q. Patrick, last season with the roster shakeup right before camp, you came in to be the starting forward. Did you feel maybe a little bit uncomfortable playing the 5 off the bench, and I guess more to that point, are you excited to play what's a more natural position for you?
PATRICK PATTERSON: I mean, my whole life I played either the 5 or the 4, going up until, what, my sophomore or junior year at the University of Kentucky. I was playing 5, I really didn't play 4 until my last year at Kentucky with DeMarcus, and then I was moved to the 4 for the first time ever. So I'm used to playing 5 and the 4. Nowadays the way the NBA is leaning towards is having either that athletic 5 man or having like a 6'8", 6'6" 5 man who can play rebound, defense and switch out on screens. The game is getting a lot faster. It's not really slow paced anymore. For me it's just being able to go out there and just play hard, whether I'm at the 5, whether I'm at the 4, no matter what position I'm at, being able to move my feet and being that guy that my teammates can rely on.

Q. Obviously this year is a lot different for you health-wise. Just describe your mindset coming into the season versus a year ago.
PATRICK PATTERSON: Yeah, so a year ago obviously coming off the surgery and having to work my way back up from that point. This off-season actually having the opportunity to have a complete off-season, complete summer under my belt, focus on my body, focusing on being healthy and now coming into training camp and actually partaking into training camp, actually partaking in preseason, all the practices, all the workouts, all the games. So for me right now it's just building that chemistry with my teammates on and off the court. On the court just showing what I can do, of course, shooting the ball, moving the ball, rebounding, playing great defense, and just having fun. I didn't get the opportunity to do that last year, but finally this season I get that, so I just want to go out there and just be that guy that my teammates know I can be.

Q. Patrick, pretty good off-season for the Thunder with Paul George re-upping. Was that a case of you could see that coming closer and closer to fruition during last season? Could you tell that he was becoming more acclimated into the culture of the team? Tell us your confidence level at the end of the season on Paul coming back.
PATRICK PATTERSON: Honestly, I had no idea. Of course you could see that the chemistry that him and Russ shared, him and Coach Donovan shared and the rest of the team that we all had with him. There's always that chemistry, that friendship, that bond that we shared, but at the end of the day, you don't know what's going on in his head. He's the only one who knows, so just going off of that, off of what I saw physically, I had full confidence that he was coming back just because the way that we hung out together, the way we were around with one another, I believed he was coming back, but I didn't know 100 percent because like I said, you don't know what goes on in a person's head. Only that person does.

Q. What's the best movie you've seen this summer?
PATRICK PATTERSON: Ooh, that's a great question. Best movie I've seen this summer would be -- it's a movie called "Farming." I saw it at TIFF. It's a true story about a young black kid who was put into a skinhead group until he was 16. It's a very powerful, emotional movie. Hopefully you don't walk out of the theater when you see some scenes, but it's a very inspirational movie.

Q. Billy wasn't very forthcoming about whether you were going to start or whether Jerami was going to start, but considering going into last season that was the plan, for you to start, and you guys had had extensive time to figure that out before Carmelo came, is that what you want, and do you want to be that starting power forward this season?
PATRICK PATTERSON: I mean, of course as a competitor, as an NBA player, as a guy who loves the game, I would love to start. Same thing if you asked Jerami the same question. But at the end of the day, as long as I have a positive role, as long as I have an impact on this team, and most importantly as long as I'm playing, whether I start, whether I come off the bench, it doesn't matter. Whichever one is better for the team overall, whoever fits best in that starting role with the starters and whoever fits best in the bench role with the second unit, as long as I'm playing, as long as I'm out there with those guys, whichever one I'm at, it doesn't matter.

Q. Four of the starters seem pretty well set with the four veterans. The one thing that four-man unit doesn't have a lot of is the three-point shot. Seems like that's something you could provide. When you're out there with those four guys, which you didn't play a lot with those four last year, but when you're out there with them, how valuable do you think your shot from the three-point line is?
PATRICK PATTERSON: I mean, anyone at that position, Jerami shot the ball, I thought, pretty well at the 4, and I assume his shot has gotten a lot better working on it this summer. Myself, I'm a good three-point shooter, so that 4 definitely has to be a good three-point shooter, not only be able to play defense, move his feet, playing the post and being able to switch out on the perimeter, but be able to space the floor, pass the ball, hit open shots whenever those opportunities arise. Like I say, whether that's me, whether that's Jerami, as long as that person who's in that spot is able to knock down threes on a consistent basis, that's the main focus.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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