Thunder Players and Coaches Look Ahead to Next Season

Originally Published: May 1, 2010 7:45 PM CDT

Gerald Goodridge
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY -- After a 27-win improvement and the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2005, the Oklahoma City Thunder took time to reflect on a successful season and looked forward to the next and how they can keep improving.

“We can’t back down now. We have to continue to get better,” Jeff Green said. “Teams respect us now, so they’re going to come at us even harder.”

One of the biggest questions heading into the offseason is keeping the nucleus of the team whole, while paying players their market value and adding more talent to the team.

“I’m confident that we will [keep the group together]. I’m looking forward to playing with these guys next season,” NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant said. “It’s a group of brothers that I’m with now and I’m happy I’m here.”

But before they may go their separate ways, the players still have work to do in Oklahoma City.

“We’re all here next year,” said Green. “We have to do what it takes to get better next year.”

Team chemistry may have played a pivotal role in the Thunder’s turnaround; a core group of young players that get along even when they’re not on the hardwood. Rookie guards Eric Maynor and James Harden will even spend time with Durant in Washington D.C. during the offseason.

“Something small like that shows that we’re ready to build together as a group,” Durant said. “It’s not just on the basketball court; we like hanging with each other off the court. And that makes it easier for us when we start to play basketball.”

With three players competing on the international level – Durant, Green and Russell Westbrook will all play with USA Basketball this summer – the coaches know that their players have to use the offseason wisely.

“We need to take advantage over the next five months to improve and they will,” head coach Scott Brooks said. “We’ve got basketball players here that want to get better, and they will.”