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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 25, 2019

Patrick Patterson

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Q. How did you deal with that kind of dynamic towards the end -- after the All-Star break basically, Markieff comes in, and you were the one that had to sacrifice for the team?
PATRICK PATTERSON: Thankfully, Coach brought that information to me ahead of time, and he kept me in the loop. So I was well aware of what was going to happen. I understood the decision was made to acquire Kieff. Only thing that could ruin the team was me acting negatively about it. So I tried my best to just remain a true professional. I have no ill will towards Kieff. Him and his brother, I've known for a while. He's a great guy, tremendous man, great talent. So I was more focused on the success of the team, thinking that him coming in and joining the team would only help us and make us better.

Q. Patrick, next year being your player option, how do you feel about your status with the team moving forward?
PATRICK PATTERSON: Confident. I feel confident with the team. As of right now, I feel happy here. I enjoy my teammates. I enjoy the city, great program, great organization here. As of right now, I'm feeling a positive situation and in a good place.

Q. Patrick, what do you think about the feel and the vibe of the locker room this season? A lot of guys were talking about how you guys kind of tailed off after All-Star break, and they didn't really have an answer about why that was the situation. How do you feel about the locker room?
PATRICK PATTERSON: We stick together no matter what. We understood -- we understand now during that period after All-Star, that we didn't perform the way we wanted to perform, and that didn't necessarily go according to plan. No one pointed fingers at each other, how we collectively tried to come together every single time and find solutions.

We stuck together, Russ and the P.G. and Ray, the leaders of the squad, Steve-O included, would constantly talk to us about finding solutions, about trying to dig ourselves out of the hole. Again, no one pointed fingers at each other. No one put the blame on someone else on the team. We all stayed collective as a unit. We all stayed together as a family. Just trying to push forward to get a win.

Q. Your teammates talked about how Donovan would talk to the players, a lot more probably than other (indiscernible). What was that communication like when Markieff was brought in? Do you like how it was all handled in the locker room?
PATRICK PATTERSON: Oh, very much. I know with me, he spoke to me about it, so I'm quite sure he spoke to other people about it as well upon acquiring him. We were all well aware of Markieff and his talents and where he'd come from and what he was going to bring to this team, and I think everyone was happy. Everyone was excited. Everyone was ecstatic about it. Everyone was looking forward to it. So there was no negativity going on in that situation.

But I think with Donovan and the team, there's great lines of open communication. He takes information from us. We take information from him, and we all work together to try to find solutions, and we all try to figure out game plans together.

Q. You have seen over the course of the 82 games, but then especially in the playoff series, just the way the game's continuing to evolve and change. What is required for you this summer as a big man in terms of getting yourself ready defensively to go up against these situations where guards are shooting from 32, 35 feet, and coming off the dribble, either to attack -- you know, those types of situations you're going to be in 60 times a game.
PATRICK PATTERSON: So I think a lot of it is just any time you're in a workout one-on-one or a five-on-five, three-on-three, two-on-two setting, just trying to be around guards as much as possible, focus on isolation, on not having to rely so much on help. If you do get beat to the basket, focus on your timing in order to block the shot and alter it without getting the foul.

When you're out there on the perimeter, you're pretty much in the guards' world, you know. That's what they're known for -- handling the ball, shooting the ball, trying to create a shot for themselves, but once they get into the paint, you can use your length to your advantage to block the shot and alter the shot towards the rim.

So I think for me in the future, it's just playing a lot of competitive basketball with guards, challenging myself to try to stay in front of them, and not back too far off to where they feel comfortable shooting the shot.

Q. How many movies do you think you'll watch this off-season?
PATRICK PATTERSON: A couple hundred easily. Are you talking about in the theater or at home?

Q. Both.
PATRICK PATTERSON: In the theater, 100. At home, probably a movie or two every night.

Q. Do you got your End Game tickets yet, or have you already seen it?
PATRICK PATTERSON: I'm there tonight. I've got my tickets already. I'm there. I'll have my front row seat to watch it.

Q. Front row to watch a movie?
PATRICK PATTERSON: Front row to watch a movie, yeah.

Q. Do you have any film projects coming up? Do you have anything that you're going to do?
PATRICK PATTERSON: Most likely, a couple internships. I'm not sure with what production companies, try to focus on like writing, trying to progress forward, trying to set up my life after basketball in the movie world. So, yeah, I'll probably start working on that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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