Monday Bolts: 9.11.17

Shaun Powell (NBA.com) previews the upcoming Thunder season: “Westbrook won’t have such a burden next year, and chances are good that he’ll accommodate George as much as possible. He has every incentive to make life good for George, considering George can walk next summer. The last thing Westbrook needs is a reputation for chasing away stars; he endured enough of that when Durant left for Golden State in 2016. So, expect plenty of Westbrook-to-George baskets, and if that cuts into the 31 points Westbrook averaged last season, so be it.”

Fred Katz on how talent is changing the Thunder approach on offense: “Patterson spaces. Even when he’s in one of his slumps, players guard him. And more relevant, he pulls what’s often a big man out of the paint. When Oladipo was in the corner, he was bringing a guard, someone used to defending the perimeter, to a lazy spot where he could often help. Now, Patterson’s probable positioning displaces the spot of last year’s secondary creator. It means the new secondary creator, also known as Paul George, will actually be on the wing. OKC isn’t putting George in the corner. It’s not happening. If it somehow does consistently, it would be a disaster of a move. He will be all over the floor. And he will be active.”

ESPN released 100-76 of its top 100 NBA players for next season: Andre Roberson made the cut at #85. Patrick Patterson landed at #76.

More on Enes Kanter being disallowed from taking a photo with KD: “After the scrimmage game, 45 minutes later, he called me and said, ‘Did you talk to him?'” Kanter said. “He heard about the game, so he asked me if I talked to him, if I was friendly or not, if I was on his team. I said I wasn’t on his team, and he said, ‘You’re lying, I watched you on his team.’ I said ‘OK, I was on his team a little bit.'”

Russell Westbrook spoke with TIME about his style/upcoming book: “For me, it’s not about really great outfits. It’s just who I am. I always want to make sure that people understand that. I’m not getting dressed to make a scene or like ‘Oh, look what Westbrook has on today!’ If I like something, I’ll put it on, I go to the game, that’s how it is. The basketball stuff is not affected by that. I’m gonna do that no matter what I wear. For me, it’s not a game.”

Brett Dawson on Paul George’s summer workouts: “The result is a player Capretta said will enter his first season in Oklahoma City stronger than before, but with his athleticism intact. “He’s thoroughly excited for the season,” Capretta said. “He’s getting a fresh start. He’s got a lot of confidence in what (the Thunder) are gonna do. When you talk to him about it, he lights up.”

Enes Kanter will hold a basketball camp in OKC on September 17: “The Thunder center will have basketball camp Sept. 17 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Santa Fe Family Life Center (6300 N. Santa Fe Ave.) in Edmond. The camp is free for players ages 8 to 19.”

Russ will appear on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon tonight on NBC: “Russell Westbrook is making the rounds in New York City. The NBA’s Most Valuable Player will appear as a guest on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon on Monday, Sept. 11 at 10:35 p.m. on NBC.”

Paul George had a Sunday pickup session with Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, and more: