OKC Thunder notebook: Thunder will use a zone defense this season

“We still have six days of training camp,” Brooks said Friday.

A zone, many believe, would have been beneficial against the Heat. But even when the strategy is put in, Brooks said he will not be reliant on it.

“We will spend a fair amount of time (on it), but we're not going to spend a lot of time because that's not going to be a staple,” Brooks said. “It's going to be something that we will throw out there as a change of pace, just a wrinkle that we will throw with our defense. But we are a man-to-man (defensive team). When we play our best man-to-man we're really playing a good zone. But we will definitely tinker in some zone this year.”

DURANT DEVELOPING PASSING

Kevin Durant finished the preseason with 21 assists against seven turnovers.

While those stats are in no way the assist-to-turnover rate anyone should expect from Durant this season, they do provide a glimpse into how he has improved as a playmaker and perhaps foreshadow what might be in store this season.

“I hope so,” Durant said. “I just got to be more patient and make the right plays. So we'll see.”

In his previous five seasons, Durant has never finished with more assists than turnovers. For his career, he has 1,073 assists and 1,194 turnovers.

BACK TO THE BASICS

Brooks on Friday joked that the layoff between the preseason finale and the regular season opener feels like a second training camp. But the goal is to use the time wisely. For the Thunder, that means focusing on fundamentals.

“We have a mindset that we have to approach each day with, and that is play with great effort, play with the fundamentals and also play with toughness,” Brooks said. “When we do those three things we see a big improvement every day. That's always been our focus.