Thunder Practice Report | Dec. 14, 2021
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00:00Coach Dagnall began practice today by stating that Lou Dort's left ankle injury is getting better,
00:05but to help with rest he did not practice today. There is a chance that he will play in the New
00:10Orleans Pelicans game tomorrow here in Oklahoma City, but that will be a game time decision.
00:15Another player that seemingly left the court due to injury was Trey Mann. After limping off the
00:20court from playing 14 minutes and not returning, Coach Dagnall gave an update on him today.
00:25Limped up, he had a little bit of an ankle thing, but nothing that prevented him from
00:30going back in that game. So the minutes was not a reflection of the injury. That was just,
00:35you know, that's what he got that night. Oleski Pokaszewski was assigned to the
00:39Oklahoma City Blue today and Coach Dagnall became very clear on exactly why that is.
00:44Last year we sent him to the Blue and it was a very effective time for him to be there for that
00:51stretch. What we want to see out of him is like high work capacity in terms of attacking the
00:57program, like not flinching in terms of all the stuff that we're doing with him off the court
01:02there when he's there on like practice days like today. And then in the games, can he extend
01:08his impact and his efficiency over the course of longer minutes? And so, you know, it's a very
01:14intentional plan with him as it is with all the guys that go there. Despite assigning him to the
01:19Blue, Coach Dagnall talked today about the vast improvements that Poku has shown this season as
01:24compared to last season and just how much he's grown as a player both physically and mentally.
01:30Decision making, you know, that's really what it comes down to. And I think the physical gains
01:35that he's made are showing up on that end of the floor. He's just way more on balance. He has way
01:39more plays where he's playing with force. He's got way more plays where he's not, he doesn't seem as
01:48wet noodley as he was at times last year, which I think is just pure like the work he put in
01:53summertime. But the biggest thing, you know, when I talk about efficiency is efficient decisions. And
01:59the decisions are passing decisions and they're shooting decisions, shot selection decisions.
02:06And we're not necessarily evaluating those decisions based on the outcome of those plays. So,
02:11you know, he's, I don't know what his turnover rate is now compared to last year. If it's higher,
02:16I know his passing decisions are better. They're turnovers that we're much more
02:20willing to tolerate because they're coming inside of the team concept. And maybe he just needs the
02:24game to slow down a little bit more. The shot selection is not perfect, but is much, much more
02:30predictable than it was last year. And that's one of the things I think he's grown in. And part of
02:34being in a team and in a team system is being a predictable player. Your teammates and everybody
02:39needs to know what you're going to do. And I think he's much, much more on track with that.
02:43Today was the second time that Coach Dagnall has drawn similarities between food and the Thunder.
02:48First, he said that the Thunder are laying a foundation, like a good cake base. And listen,
02:53anytime Coach Dagnall is speaking food and basketball, he's speaking my language.
02:58I understand the intrigue. The initial Skittles versus Broccoli conversation was more about you
03:04guys than it was about Trey Mann. Like Trey Mann is focused on Broccoli and so is Poku. I think
03:09there's a tendency to get excited about players and to want to press fast forward on a process
03:15that is very arduous and slow and gradual and invisible. Progress does not happen with these
03:21huge jumps. Twitter is not a platform that's designed for progress. It's a platform that's
03:29designed for Skittles. Twitter is just Skittles everywhere. Finally, Coach Dagnall concluded that
03:34he has been very hard on these developmental players this season and still holds very high
03:39expectations for Poku and Mann. I've pushed him really hard this year in terms of the standard
03:46we're holding him to. It's because we think he's going to be a really good player, that's Poku.
03:50Same with Trey Mann. He only played 13 minutes the other night. When you asked about that question,
03:55that was because he was a little bit below a very high bar. Probably a bar that you can't
04:00reach every night, but the bar is high and I think players appreciate that. While we're holding
04:07them to a very high standard, we're also supporting the hell out of these guys and we're in it with
04:11them. This isn't like we're giving them tests and seeing if they pass and fail. We're giving them
04:16tests and we're walking the path with them. The Thunder will face the Pelicans tomorrow night,
04:20but for now, this has been your Thunder practice report. Reporting for SI Thunder,
04:24I'm Christine Butterfield.
04:30you