Recap: 2023-24 OKC Thunder media day
The Oklahoma City Thunder held their 2023-24 media day on Monday, Oct. 2. During the all-day event, head coach Mark Daigneault and players spoke with the media in preparation for the new season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren highlight the Thunder’s roster.
The Thunder will kick off their preseason slate on Monday, Oct. 9, against the San Antonio Spurs. The regular season begins on Oct. 25 against the Chicago Bulls.
Live updates will be provided throughout this article. Please check back on a regular basis to see what Daigneault and the players say as they are on the verge of kicking off a new season.
Here for 2023-24 Thunder Media Day
I’ll be tweeting updates throughout the day! pic.twitter.com/mVIMMzIDaS
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Mark Daigneault is here pic.twitter.com/u6d8LJRtoP
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Mark Daigneault on Chet Holmgren playing 4/5 this season: “It’s about finding a way to be efficient and impactful. What position you play shouldn’t alter the way you play. Who he’s out there with won’t change the way he plays.” pic.twitter.com/fU4CtXzU29
— Nick Crain (@CrainNBA) October 2, 2023
Mark Daigneault: “We’re still building. Let me be clear on that. This is still a young team..
The outcome goals can be noisy. But we have really high standards within our building.”
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) October 2, 2023
Mark Daigneault on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this season: “All he’s ever done is improve. So it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s better.”
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) October 2, 2023
SGA is here pic.twitter.com/rt6qFSrrml
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
SGA on Micic: "Playing with him I've come to learn he's a really good basketball player."
— Derek Parker (@DParkOK) October 2, 2023
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on his favorite arena to play in: “Paycom Center.”
SGA’s favorite road arena: “I guess Toronto.
It’s more about the fans than the arena for me.”
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) October 2, 2023
SGA on Cason Wallace: “He’s a guy that we’ll be ready to play right away.”
He also complemented his defense.
— Kade Kimble (@kadekimble) October 2, 2023
SGA said one of the reasons he wanted to play for Canada is because it gave him a little bit more run right before the season starts:
“It's almost like studying before the test.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Lu Dort is here pic.twitter.com/SSv94IAc5V
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Lu Dort continued his mic tap tradition pic.twitter.com/y2ri1dDtYV
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
Lu Dort on bigger expectations for OKC this season:
“At the end of the day, it’s still us. Expectations can’t win games, we have to do it.”
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) October 2, 2023
Lu Dort on what he worked on offense this offseason: “My main thing was just to be more efficient… Read what the defense gives me… Not be in a rush, taking my time.”
Said there’s a lot of playmakers on the roster and it’s his job to provide space
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Josh Giddey is here pic.twitter.com/F4mAmFOXKU
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Josh Giddey on Chet: “He’s very versatile. I think he can stretch the floor for us… He’s lob threat… He’s gonna bring a new dynamic to the team… He protects the rim, in my opinion, as well as anybody in the league.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Here’s Josh Giddey on the NBL and how it’s becoming a viable path to the NBA,
Talked Alex Sarr, Trentyn Flowers and how he wants to keep his fingerprints on the NBL. pic.twitter.com/Fca6tfRTnZ
— Derek Parker (@DParkOK) October 2, 2023
Josh Giddey on his 3-point shooting: “I think it’s good. The big thing for me is confidence.”
Said working with Chip Engelland has helped a ton and that he won’t take a ton of 3s to prove a point and change the narrative around his shooting
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
JDub is here pic.twitter.com/0ddcJ2awrW
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Jalen Williams on advice for Cody Williams “He just got COVID, so I guess, don’t get sick anymore.” He went on to say “just stay focused”
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
Jalen Williams said Chet Holmgren “brings a lot to the table” said the way they look at it is not so much playing the five it’s “just five guys who are out there.”
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
Jalen Williams said adding muscle will help him be versatile, he considers himself position-less highlights the fact he played the five some last year.
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
Kenrich Williams is here pic.twitter.com/TxSI7CCh0y
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Kenrich Williams on last year’s Play-In: “I was super excited we made it to the Play-In. My first 2 years here were pretty bad… It boosted our confidence and it shows we can play at that stage.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Kenrich Williams said the headband is here to stay
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
“Go ahead and buy your [Cason Wallace] stock right now.”
Kenrich Williams is bullish on the Thunder’s
top 10 pick 🌟 pic.twitter.com/kjpuyxeNcQ— Cooper Jones (@CooperJNBA) October 2, 2023
Poku is here pic.twitter.com/XT2nL8IgvS
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
“There’s not a lot to show around”
Poku on showing Micic OKC 💀
— TF (@ThunderFocus) October 2, 2023
"What's something you miss the most about your home country?"
Poku: "Food. Food. Food … Food."
— Derek Parker (@DParkOK) October 2, 2023
Poku is here next
Says his ankle feels good and is getting better quick. He’s been in the weight room in the meantime. pic.twitter.com/xMbtSWJPTm
— THE UNCONTESTED PODCAST (@The_Uncontested) October 2, 2023
Chet is here pic.twitter.com/ccnoK2P47E
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Chet Holmgren on what he learned last year pic.twitter.com/OGBQl2LNyb
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
Chet on his Lisfranc injury: “I feel like I did a really good job of taking a bad situation and a bad moment and really making the most out of it.”
Said he used last season to learn about game day routines
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Davis Bertans is here pic.twitter.com/9X4Haifbcp
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
I asked Davis Bertans about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander “He is strong physically. When you look at him it might not look like it.” Mentioned “He is the leader of the team but he is locked in being around everybody and helping everybody all the time. I’ve only heard great things” pic.twitter.com/jwGfe17Sqb
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
Davis Bertans “I’m glad to be on the same team with [Chip Engelland] again.” Said Chip is the only coach Bertans has ever allowed to change things about his shot.
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
Davis Bertans said he was asleep when he got traded and his wife woke him up with the news.
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
JWill is here pic.twitter.com/Tx5yDnDIhu
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Jaylin Williams on Chet Holmgren helping his game by having another physical presence down low:
“I feel like having Chet on the floor will help everybody.”
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) October 2, 2023
Jaylin Williams says the “boom” is going to stick around for a little bit.
— Kade Kimble (@kadekimble) October 2, 2023
Isaiah Joe is here pic.twitter.com/ZADeULvXmC
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Isaiah Joe: “I have no doubts in my mind about our ceiling.”
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) October 2, 2023
Isaiah Joe: “Chet is gonna be a guy that draws attention and I just think we’re gonna compliment each other very well.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
JRE is here pic.twitter.com/NIR9o6WAll
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
JRE said he’s feeling back to 100% health
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Olivier Sarr is here pic.twitter.com/GKiV2qvFH0
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Olivier Sarr on younger brother Alex Sarr, the potential #1 pick in the NBA 2024 Draft:
“Let’s say Alex has always been really, really competitive. Maybe a little delusional. (Laughs). But I still love him.”
He says Alex would play much older kids and always expect to win.
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) October 2, 2023
Keyontae Johnson is here pic.twitter.com/6L47O5Net3
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
I asked Keyontae Johnson if playing for this Thunder team on a two-way deal with their history of converting such deals gives him more confidence and he says “A little bit” highlights that he has talked to Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort about how to handle himself in this process.
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
Tre Mann is here pic.twitter.com/CZ8h4wgLCr
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
I asked Tre Mann about his mindset this Training Camp “Just to out there and compete.” Mentioned he wants to put himself in the best position to success offensively
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
Lindy Waters III is here pic.twitter.com/Ob3kif59X3
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Lindy Waters on being back on a two-way contract: "I'm not really worried about what contract is what and how long it is… just focus on coming in every day and giving it my all." pic.twitter.com/GQ6jAa2mEC
— Daily Thunder (@dailythunder) October 2, 2023
Lindy Waters: "There's a lot of people out here that have a lot less than me."
He says this helps him ignore the contract talks and not worry about what things look like from that standpoint.
— Kade Kimble (@kadekimble) October 2, 2023
Aaron Wiggins is here pic.twitter.com/stNeEkp4DP
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Aaron Wiggins said he continued to put in work this offseason: “Saving more and more basketball every day.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
I asked Aaron Wiggins about the new in-season tournament and he sounds super excited about it and says guys will be ready to play and it adds stakes to the regular season.
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
Ousmane Dieng is here pic.twitter.com/BqcQrx06Im
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Ousmane Dieng says he grew 1 inch since last season.
That would put Ous at 6’11”.
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) October 2, 2023
Ousmane Dieng says he worked with Chip Engelland a lot on his shot form.
— Derek Parker (@DParkOK) October 2, 2023
Vasilije Micic is here pic.twitter.com/q4hBjTSmSa
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Vasilije Micic said a ‘common desire’ helped him decide to finally sign with the Thunder this offseason
“I felt like I needed to prove something to myself.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Vasilije Micic said a ‘common desire’ helped him decide to finally sign with the Thunder this offseason
“I felt like I needed to prove something to myself.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Vasilije Micic said he never spoke to the 76ers about joining them when his draft rights were owned by them
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Vasilije Micic says he wears 29 with the Thunder due to his age. He initially wanted 22, but of course, that is Cason Wallace’s number.
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
Jack White is here pic.twitter.com/1dMzVhEtFS
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Jack White on signing with the Thunder: “I think there’s a great opportunity for me to contribute and play here.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Cason Wallace is here pic.twitter.com/u7iwD0wzvQ
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Cason Wallace on Lu Dort: “He’s a great defender. I’ve seen it with my own eyes now.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 2, 2023
Cason Wallace said his goal is to keep his defender away from Chet but if he lets a guy get to Chet he knows Chet will have his back. pic.twitter.com/cZqXr0PcPQ
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 2, 2023
