Oklahoma City Thunder Already Preparing For Next Season

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma City Thunder's season came to an abrupt end Wednesday thanks to a disappointing 100-96 loss at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. Despite a disappointing three-game losing streak to end the season, the Oklahoma City players and coaches have many positives to take away.

"The season didn't end the way we wanted it to end, but the success that we've had this year is definitely something that I'm proud of," head coach Scott Brooks said during the team's final interviews Thursday. "[It's] something that we can have a foundation and knowing that if we continue to work and pay attention to the small details that we should always become a better team."

From that foundation, the players will spend the offseason getting better; with the things they learned through three playoff series to guide them through a shorter offseason than normal.

"I think we gained confidence and we also found things that we struggled with, that it will be easier to point to during the next season," forward Nick Collison said. "Now we see that this is a level that we want to be at and we have to get better at a lot of the things throughout the basketball game."

Reserve guard James Harden, saw his role increase not only after the midseason trade, but as the playoffs progressed and his scoring was needed. Despite his herculean efforts and output in the latter part of the season, Harden is taking it in stride and knows there are still things he can develop.

"My teammates had a lot of trust in me, putting the basketball in my hands in the fourth quarter of crunch-time games. I felt my confidence grew as the season went on and as the playoffs went on," Harden said. "Some of my weaknesses that I can work on, as far as right hand and my mid-range game, I can definitely get more effective for next season."

One of the newer additions to the Oklahoma City Thunder was center Kendrick Perkins, who was acquired from Boston in a trade for Nenad Krstic and Jeff Green, but was hampered by a nagging injury. The physical center appeared in just 46 games this season, including 17 playoff games, will spend his offseason in Houston, rehabbing and trying to drop from 280-pounds to 265-pounds in an effort to become more effective.

Additionally, Perkins is taking it upon himself to make sure that in the case that a lockout extends the offseason, he will keep the younger members of the team focused and ready to return at any time.

"I'm not a guy that takes time off. I know the guys look up to me and I have high goals and high expectations for myself. It's already June, so I don't have much too much time to waste," Perkins said. "I have to be the one to make sure I stay on top of the young guys, to make sure that they're still working out and they're still getting their game together, so if there is a lockout, we can come back stronger at the start of the season."