Q. Over the last three seasons, your buckets that are assisted on continues to go up, meaning maybe you're not creating as much for yourself and you've got other passers around you or finding your spots. Is there anything specific that sticks out over the last three years that's changed from the first season to now in terms of who's around you and how you get your buckets?
KENRICH WILLIAMS: Yeah, definitely. That's a good question. It definitely changes on who you're playing with. You're playing with a guy like Shai who's all-NBA, great talent, you've kind of got to figure out a way to play off him. Within my first year, it was kind of everybody was a new team. None of the older guys are playing, kind of get freedom to shoot whatever.
But it's a little different now, so just kind of try to be efficient with my shots, the shots that I take, and just playing off these guys.
Q. Last year you didn't get to participate in the round of the play-in and the whole process and that experience. What was it like watching this team get to that point, and how much motivation is that for you to get back and be a part of it this year?
KENRICH WILLIAMS: Yeah, it hurt not being able to play and just knowing that I could make a difference. I feel like I could make a difference in the game.
But I was super excited that we made it to the play-in, like we just talked about. My first two years here, it was pretty bad. But you go through those things to -- there's always a brighter day at the end of the day, and last year was just kind of a testament to that, being able to play in the play-in. I think that was big for us, kind of boosted our confidence, and it showed that we can go play on this stage and be successful.
Q. Last year you kind of called your shot and said J-Dub had All-Star potential --
KENRICH WILLIAMS: See?
Q. Do you have any impression of Cason Wallace and is he here to stay?
KENRICH WILLIAMS: Oh, good question. Man, Case-O, I think you guys are going to love him. Very poised. The dude carries himself like he's a 10-year vet already. Very polished game, and he's from Texas.
Go in and buy your stock right now.
Q. You just mentioned you went through a couple of lean years here. Just looking at the makeup of this year's roster, the talent level, how excited are you to get to training camp to see all these guys?
KENRICH WILLIAMS: Oh, man, super excited. Super excited. As a basketball player, as a hooper, this is what you ask for, just a competitive team, just nothing handed to you. Yeah, that's all you can ask for as a player, just let's compete. That's the main thing. We've got a bunch of guys on the team that can do a bunch of different things.
Man, training camp is going to be fun.
Q. There's been a lot of talk about being positionless, but last season the Thunder hit a stride where you were the de facto big man on the floor. What do you think that did to help the team last year with you in that spot?
KENRICH WILLIAMS: Yeah, it wasn't new for me. I played the 5 in junior college and at TCU, as well, a little bit. And I played 5 in high school, as well, because I was the tallest.
So just being able to be versatile, I think that helps not only me but every player in the league. If you can be versatile, it's more about getting on the floor now. It's positionless, the game.
But it definitely opened up something new for us, just being that we'd kind of play small and you can kind of be versatile defensively, kind of switch everything.
But I love it, though, man. That's the beauty of the game right there, just being able to just fill right in anywhere the team needs me to be.
Q. You talked about that versatility, being able to play small. Now obviously you add Chet, kind of a different element. In theory what kind of things do you think he gives you?
KENRICH WILLIAMS: Man, Chet is going to be special for us. I'm not even talking about just the offensive side of the game. Just defensively, the impact that he's going to bring for us, like I said, man, I've been here four years, and I don't think we've had a legit shot blocker, rim protector like Chet.
As a defender and we've got multiple defenders on the team, knowing that somebody is there at the rim, it just boosts your confidence on defense.
I think that Chet is going to be big for us.
Q. You mentioned you've been here for four years. What are some of the things that were perhaps implemented from a mentality approach standpoint back then that you've seen now that have paid off? What are the most important ones?
KENRICH WILLIAMS: Just the coaching staff and the organization instilling competitiveness in us. Just being able to compete at the highest level.
The game now is -- I would say 70 percent on how you compete. If you compete hard, you play hard, then you'll have success as a team. That's one of the things that the coaching staff kind of instilled in us early. In order to have success, we have to play super hard and be competitive.
Q. You've sort of been the team leader experience-wise for a couple years. Now here comes a guy who's got 13 years in the Euroleague with Micic. Are you happy to see that, or are you still sort of the godfather of the team?
KENRICH WILLIAMS: Vava is special, and I call him Vava-M, so excuse me on that. That's the nickname I gave him.
But no, having him come over is going to be big for us, as well. He gives us some insight on -- he's an older guy, he's 28, 29, so he knows the game, as well, Euroleague MVP.
But it's just going to be good to add another veteran, of course. Any vets you can have on the team, just being able to tell guys right from wrong, stuff like that, on the court is going to be helpful for us. I'm looking forward to the season.
Q. Kenrich, I assume you bang up against Ousmane Dieng a lot in practice. What do you think the ceiling is for him?
KENRICH WILLIAMS: He definitely grew, definitely grew height, and his playing style, I think he got a little stronger. Just being able to play him, he's one of those guys that's fun to play one-on-one and stuff and see how good he got, but he definitely got stronger.
I think his mentality changed as far as knowing what to expect and how to work hard and just have success in the league. I knows now, man, it's super tough to be competitive in the league and play in the league. He knows that now, and man, the sky's the limit for Ouse.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports