Q. Vit, how does it feel to finally be here and be a part of the team after being on this side of things last year and being out with injury rehab?
VIT KREJCI: Yeah, I mean, it's good to be back. I've dreamed of being on a team and finally being back on court since the injury, so it's good to be back on court, having fun, being with the guys and getting prepared for the season.
Q. I was wondering, I know you guys haven't officially started camp yet, but wondering if you could give us a perspective on Shai. Obviously he signs the extension, he's going to be here a while, they sort of have him in that lead role. What have you seen out of him in terms of leadership and being that guy for you guys?
VIT KREJCI: Yeah, I mean, to be honest, Shai is one of the most positive persons I've ever seen. He tries to look at everything positively with a big smile. So I think that's a good approach to everything in life, not just basketball but everything, but also when he steps on the court he's really competitive, so I think that helps him get where he is right now. I'm so happy that he could sign this extension.
Q. When a guy gets that super max, that first big contract, I can imagine that would change some things. Have you sensed any sort of big changes in Shai at all?
VIT KREJCI: Absolutely not. I mean, I didn't know him much from before, but I don't think he's the type of person that the money will change anything. I know he's a good guy. I know he's going to take care of his family, and he's just looking forward to playing basketball. That's all we want to do.
Q. I know you weren't around the team a ton last year, but who were some of the guys who maybe helped you feel settled in or get used to how things are around here?
VIT KREJCI: Well, one guy I hang around a little bit last year was Poku because he lives close by and I kind of know him from Europe. We kind of got together. But yeah, the schedule is pretty tough, so once the season ended I was able to spend some time with the guys.
Now just having a good team, I think hanging around with a lot of guys. Trying to help Gaby because we can practice some Spanish, so it's nice to have him here. Yeah, we have a good group of guys, all young guys. We have a lot to talk about. It's just a great chemistry in the team.
Q. With Poku, how much did you know about him, and just being able to watch him every game last year, what stands out about his game?
VIT KREJCI: Well, I just heard of him, I've never played against him actually. I think we just like never -- we would probably like meet up at national teams, but we never played against Serbia. You know, I just heard of him.
It's nice to see his progression. You could see that in the beginning it was kind of tough for him to get to the game, the difference, but he finished the season really strong, and I'm hoping he can give me some guidance through the beginning of the season, too.
Q. Where do you see yourself -- I know there's a lot of talk about positionless basketball, but maybe as far as like traditional positions go, where do you see yourself fitting on the court?
VIT KREJCI: You know, I just want to bring the energy to the team on the offense and on defense. I think I bring a lot to both sides of the court. Once I step on the court, just put everything I've got, bring a lot of energy and fasten the game up.
Q. Over the years that the Thunder has been here, we've heard a lot about how they try to work to bring new guys, acclimate them to the city and everything like that. There's so many of you guys right now that are international guys. This is like your first in the U.S. experience. I'm wondering, what have you seen? How has the Thunder tried to help you guys? I know a lot of it probably falls on you, but how does that relationship work and how have they been helping you guys to get your feet wet?
VIT KREJCI: Yeah, they all try to make us as comfortable as we can be. We know why we're here, we're here to play basketball, so they're just trying to make sure that all we focus on is basketball. We're all professionals, although we're young.
In Europe, we had some experience, talking about Theo, Poku, me, we had some experience with professional basketball. It's obviously a lot different in the NBA, but all we want to do is just play basketball. Obviously there's a lot of things that comes with it, but ultimately just comes down to basketball.
Q. Is there anything that -- as you guys are getting acclimated to life over here, is there anything you've started to learn about the city, the state? Basketball is your big thing, but you do live here, so what's that been like? What have you sort of discovered as you've been here a while?
VIT KREJCI: I just love the people here. I know everybody here is a big fan of the Thunder, so I haven't been fortunate to meet a lot of guys, meet a lot of fans, but I'm looking forward to hopefully during the season we get to meet some -- we get to have some interaction with fans, and that's why I love this, too, just the interaction with the fans and bring some joy to the city.
Q. Can you tell us where you are in your recovery process from your injury?
VIT KREJCI: Yeah, so I started last week was my first time playing pickup games, so right now I'm all clear to play, and it's just a nice -- I've been waiting for it for a year. Actually yesterday it was one year since the injury, so it's just nice to be back. I feel physically good. I haven't felt the knee once. I'm happy to be back on the floor and get ready for the season.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports