Scott Brooks isn't focusing on the Thunder's 3-7 combined summer record from play in Orlando and Las Vegas. Instead, Oklahoma City's coach is focused on the development of his young team going into next season.
Brooks was especially pleased with the performance of Russell Westbrook, who was only supposed to play in Orlando but added a game in Vegas to his schedule. The second-year point guard averaged 20.6 points in five games. Lottery pick James Harden averaged 14.7 points, while DJ White averaged 10.1 points. White, a second-year power forward, missed nearly all of his rookie season because of jaw surgery.
"A couple of things I'd like to highlight are Russell making the commitment coming out (to Vegas)," Brooks told the team's website. "He played a lot of minutes for us last year, did a lot of incredible things for us last season.
"A lot of guys in his position did not come to Summer League. He not only played one game but he played five games. That says a lot about his leadership and development and I'm proud of it.
"And also, Kevin Durant coming out here supporting his team. That's huge. He's one of our better players. For him to come out here and show support, that's another guy who's building his leadership skills."
