WATCH: Next Man up Mentality
The Thunder have been transparent in the kind of culture they are cultivating. OKC has been talking the talk but against Denver they walked the walk.
Not only did they walk the walk, but they did so with six key players out with injuries. The Thunder rotated between just nine players, seven of which has spent considerable time with Oklahoma City’s G-League team.
Despite this, they came out early ready to fight against the Nuggets. Shooting incredibly well in Denver, the Thunder shot 50 percent from the field and a whopping 55 percent from the perimeter.
“They were ready to throw punches tonight. One through nine and Isaiah (Roby) was definitely embodying that from the jump,” Coach Daigneault said. “I thought our aggression and our willingness to lean into the fight against a really good hot team was impressive.”
Even though Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 29 points, Isaiah played one of his best games to date by scoring a career high of 26 points.
Each player coming off OKC’s bench added a spark, played efficiently, and did not bring down the level of intensity.
This young team displayed a special level of competitiveness against a talented Denver squad. With the Thunder’s focus on building a sustainable culture this was a big step in the right direction.
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