The preseason is over, and the Thunder's mysterious puzzle has not yet been played, but his presence has been felt by everyone.
During the 10-day pre-season training camp, Patrick Patterson did nothing. There was no scramble with Steven Adams in the interior card slot, nor did he do some non-confrontation training like when he had just undergone arthroscopic surgery. But Patterson is not idle, he is still gradually trying to integrate into the Training of the Thunder.
He can't train as normally as the rest of the players, but when he finally gets to the no-match practice, the veteran who has been in the league for 7 years will soon be familiar with everything about the Thunder, blocking defense, offensive coordination and serve tactics. As a jack-of-all-trades player, Patterson is extremely adaptable.
"He always knew what he had to do and did what he was supposed to do," Thunder head coach Donovan said, "he thinks he's going to find the rhythm very quickly, and he knows what to do." ”
Although Presti's introduction of two All-Stars, Carmelo Anthony and Paul George, this summer is quite remarkable, but his three years and $16.4 million to get Patterson is also a stroke of genius. Patterson's experience and role in the new season will play a very important role in the Thunder's lineup in the future.
Patterson has been a significant contributor to the bench since entering the NBA in 2011, and he is still a well-known bench player in the league, and the reason why he has a very good plus-minus stat is very good.
In other words, as long as Patterson plays, it means giving the team a win.
In the case of the Raptors, for example, the team has won 10 points per 100 possessions over the past two seasons when Patterson has played than when he wasn't on the court. Patterson has played 11,434 minutes so far, and among players with no more than 12,000 minutes, Patterson's victory contribution value ranks 29th among all players (25.0), which means that he has brought a lot of victories to his team.
Of the 28 players ahead of him, only Lu Williams has started fewer times than he has.
To put it more bluntly, Patterson is one of the most skilled bench players to help the team win in his limited playing time.
Last season, without Westbrook, the Thunder's second team was simply miserable. However, I believe that all this will be greatly improved after Patterson arrives. Although the addition of George and Anthony will also relieve the pressure on Westbrook, Patterson's role is still very important. Because in addition to these three superstars, the other benches of the Thunder are really reassuring.
In preseason, Gerald Grant played the role of center in a small lineup, but his three-pointers totaled 0-of-7 in four games. Can Grant still keep a 37.7 percent three-point shooting percentage like last season? Patterson, by contrast, is much more stable, shooting 37 percent from three-point range in his career.
Can Alex Avrinese stay healthy? The 24-year-old defender has a history of injuries with tendonitis and has played only one preseason game after a bone contusion.
The other two preseason rotation players, Terrance Ferguson and Josh Hustis, have only seven NBA games in total, can they quickly grow into important rotations for the team?
"Pat is an old man, he knows how to win," Westbrook said, "he knows how to play." He's able to adjust his positioning very well and when he comes back, the game will be much easier. ”
Patterson doesn't have a super explosive score, no amazing ability to guard the basket, not top rebounds, not the best of the big guys, but he knows when to show up where, to finish offense/defense in the most appropriate way, he is a natural contender, he knows how to help the team win, he is the real victory puzzle for this team.