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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 24, 2018

Jerami Grant

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Q. Jerami, are there things that we may see in your game that season that we maybe didn't get to see last season?
JERAMI GRANT: I think it just depends on how we put the offense in and things like that. I have been working a lot on my entire game this summer, so yep, we'll see.

Q. Sam and Billy have talked in the off-season about how they would like to play faster, more up tempo. Seems like that fits right into your game, getting up and down the floor. How do you receive that news, and what can you guys do to increase that tempo?
JERAMI GRANT: I'm definitely just excited. I love playing that way. I have for my whole life. Just to get an opportunity to be in a system like this is big for me and big for our team.

Q. Seems like the deal you got done in free agency was done pretty quickly. Same thing with Paul's. What was that process like and how easy was it for you to get that done, and how long did it take for you?
JERAMI GRANT: Like you said, it did get done quickly. It was a no-brainer, though. I love the organization. I love my teammates and my coaching staff and everything. It really wasn't a hard decision for me.

Q. Going into the off-season there were a lot of questions about the Thunder in terms of the luxury tax and how much money they were going to have to pay. What does that say to you that the Thunder was willing to re-sign you and bring you back and pay you the money that they did for you and Paul, considering how much they're going to be paying out in luxury tax potentially this year?
JERAMI GRANT: It's huge. It's huge. It says a lot. It says that they believe in me, believe in the pieces that we have. So it definitely means a lot, and just want to keep going forward from here.

Q. What did you tell Nerlens once you figured out that he was going to be coming here?
JERAMI GRANT: Yeah, we definitely talked about it. I just told him just to be ready. I think, like we talked about, the style of play fits his style as well as mine. I just told him just to be ready as soon as he gets here to make an impact.

Q. Have you had an opportunity to work with Dennis yet?
JERAMI GRANT: No, I haven't.

Q. Just from what you've seen from him and what you've heard from other people, what do you see about his game that might fit with what you do, you being a guy that can roll to the rim, catch lobs? Y'all are presumably going to be working together in the second unit, as well.
JERAMI GRANT: Yeah, definitely. Definitely excited to be playing with him, as well. Obviously he's a huge talent. It's big for us. Definitely looking forward to getting that rolling.

Q. When we were talking to Nerlens earlier, he mentioned that he was really excited to develop in OKC because he specifically mentioned you and your development and how much your game has evolved and how well-rounded you are, and he's excited about being here. Were there words of encouragement when he got here that -- what was that like when he came and you guys found out that you were going to be able to be on the court together and you guys were going to be able to kind of grow together this season?
JERAMI GRANT: Yeah, as soon as -- yeah, we were talking about it throughout the summer, and I think I was just telling him just to be ready. Just telling him -- well, speaking from my -- I think my game kind of spoke for itself, just how much better I got from the first time I stepped on the court here until now. Just in that, I think he kind of got excited, and yeah, I was just telling him that the staff and organization does a great job of getting you better and things like that.

Q. I just asked Alex this: He's got you beat by about a week in terms of games, in terms of longevity, but he's the fourth-ranking player in terms of service with the Thunder, and you're right behind him. Do you need to take on a leadership role even though you're a fairly young player, still not considered much of a grizzled vet, but you've been here longer than two thirds of the team. Does that change your role any in terms of becoming more of a team leader on the court, off the court, in the locker room, anywhere?
JERAMI GRANT: It definitely does. I think especially for the young guys, just to kind of coach them up and do whatever I can. Obviously we have leaders like Russ, PG, that take care of a lot of that, but I definitely think my role in that sense has grown a little bit.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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