Sam Presti On The Upcoming Season

Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti has plenty to smile about these days.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti met with the media today for his annual preseason address. And if there is ever one place you’re assured to not find any sort of guarantees, predictions or ultimatums at the start of a season it’s a Presti press conference. It’s just not happening. Ever.

Instead, Presti speaks more philosophically about the franchise and which direction it is headed. He talks about ideals and principles and values and commitment. Pay close enough attention to what Presti says, though, and not only will the direction of the organization become clear, but often times the internal expectations do as well.

Here’s a rundown of what Presti touched on today.

• He said the team’s focus is on three things as the season gets started.
  1. A commitment to the same approach that has been in play the last couple of years.
  2. Continuing to evolve in the areas that are associated with high-performing teams.
  3. Expectations remain the same. “They’re based on the internal standards that we have established and lived by on a day-to-day basis within the walls of our practice facility,” Presti said.
• As a follow-up to No. 1, Presti said that approach entails having great communication on the floor, attention to detail, execution, an ability to recognize situations within the game and the year and making necessary sacrifices to be an elite team. “We took major strides in these areas last season, and our players and our coaches deserve a lot of credit for that,” Presti said. “As we continue to progress in these areas, these will be the areas that will help define us as we move forward.”

• They want to continue to be an organization that focuses on how it will accomplish the goals and not just focusing on what it seeks to accomplish.

• Defense and discipline must continue to be a staple. “We want to be a team that plays with a defensive disposition,” Presti said. “We want to be a team that brings an intensity level to the floor each time we take the floor. We want to be a team that displays discipline during periods of success, during periods of adversity and also during periods of monotony that takes place during the year.”

• Last year’s success is in the review mirror.”We got to this point by learning from the past but also focusing on the present and committing to the ideal that the results will take care of themselves as long as we stay committed to the internal standards that we have and the consistency that we display to those,” Presti said.

• Nothing will be handed to the Thunder this year. “We still have to grind out the work every day without expectation or entitlement despite the shortened season,” Presti said.

Other player-specific topics after the jump.