Oklahoma City has so many talented young players that it has decided to field two Summer League teams -- one in Orlando and another in Las Vegas. The front office decided that was the best way to spread playing time around.
"We feel that we have a team, a group of guys that need that experience in the summer," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "So we're putting more emphasis in our summer program. "We've been out and visited most of the players on our team in their cities where they are at. So we're putting a lot of emphasis into summer league to see where they are, see what we need to work on going forward."
Even though he's coming off an impressive rookie season, Russell Westbrook was part of the Orlando entry. (He's not playing in Vegas). Lottery pick James Harden was scheduled to compete in both.
Kyle Weaver and D.J. White, both rookies last season, are also headed to both cities. White missed much of his first season recovering from jaw surgery.
Brooks will also get a firsthand look at pair of international players -- Serge Ibaka and DeVon Hardin -- that could come over to the NBA or return overseas for more seasoning.
"We're looking to see if they will help us, a piece here and a piece there that we can add," Brooks said. "But there is pressure on those guys to play well and make an impact while they're here. That's very common in summer league."
