Kenrich Williams hopes to stay at OKC | NBA

The statement is surprising and Kenrich Williams is aware of it, this kind of outing being generally reserved for players playing in competitive teams. But the winger feels a real attachment to OKC, where he arrived in November 2020 from the Pelicans, and does not project himself into any other franchise.

“I want to be here with the Thunder. It may seem far-fetched, but I would love to retire here with the Oklahoma City Thunder”, did he declare on his return to play in Charlotte after spending 12 days in solitary confinement, highlighting ” Culture “ and ” the environment “ present at OKC. “It really makes you appreciate what you have and where you are.”

Perhaps a way to iNFLuence the future choices of his franchise as the “trade deadline” approaches, the Thunder having a lot of pieces likely to move around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Because as Mark Daigneault explained, the “front office” of the Thunder will above all be guided by the interest of the team.

A Swiss army knife that has it all

“All I know is that our organization loves him very much and he loves us very much. It means a lot to Sam Presti. I know it from a reliable source”, slipped the coach. “Obviously we’ll always do what’s best for the team, but he’s definitely a guy we have a lot of respect and love for.”

What also makes Kenrich Williams a player likely to interest other teams is quite simply his profile: defensive winger and reliable from afar, but also his ability to integrate quickly and perform well over short streaks. . Mark Daigneault, for his part, underlined his solidity and his intelligence of the game.

“He’s a smart, tough player who’s easy to play with, easily adapts to different team-mates, and for our team which is still growing and testing its identity, he’s very stable in terms of competitiveness and connection. It’s something we want to have. We have a lot of guys who are in this category, but he is the one who I think has the ethics that iNFLuences his teammates the most.