Q. Team full of young guys, you're one of the older guys on the team. Your three-point shooting is what you're known for. What do you add to this team and what do you want to get from the team?
DAVIS BERTANS: Honestly, from the team, I just want that we play together and succeed as a team and help each other improve. You know, even though I'm 30, I still think I can get a little bit better at some things in my game. Of course, my shooting can help, all the ball handlers to create a little bit more space. Yeah for me, I always bring energy. That's what I'm going to do. I think if we play together, we can be a really great team.
Q. Outside looking in watching the Thunder last season, what did you think?
DAVIS BERTANS: As I said, young team. Talented players. If everybody does their part, do everything they got and puts the team first, sky is the limit in that sense?
Q. What was your reaction to the draft night trade? Where were you and how did you hear about it? Things like that.
DAVIS BERTANS: I was back home, sound asleep. 4:00 a.m. for me at that point. My wife tapped me on the shoulder at 6:00 a.m. and told me I was traded. My question was, where? OKC? I was like, well, that's where we're moving. Couldn't really process it at the moment. It took a little while. You know, waking up in the middle of the night knowing you've got to pack your stuff and get on the road. Luckily, I was happy it was only a three-hour drive so the move was kind of easy from Dallas.
Q. What were your impression of the Thunder and what did you know about the organization? And what have you since learned from talking to Sam Presti, getting to know a few of the players?
DAVIS BERTANS: Honestly, I've heard only great things about the organization; that it's one of the top class organizations in the NBA. I've been here two weeks, and during the summer they kept proving it right that this is a top-class organization. They tried to install the qualities in players that can make a great team, not just the players, the staff, everybody and these two weeks, I feel energid every time I walk in the building and excited to get to work.
Q. Describe the summer for you with the World Cup.
DAVIS BERTANS: Incredible summer, of course, just by going to the World Cup that was a great experience. And us playing as a team, competing against the top teams in the world and being in these games, our backs against the wall and still battling the come backs against France, Spain, overall incredible, and you know, that's part of the experience I can somehow hopefully bring here and help everybody understand that not a single player is going to win games. We were able to beat teams that are way better than us on paper and that's just proof that when you understand your role and play for the team and put the team first, you can win big games and go far in the season and the playoffs.
Q. What stands out to you about Shai's game?
DAVIS BERTANS: He's strong physically. When you look at him, it might not look like it but we had a tough job that we couldn't handle during the World Cup. He was the guy that went off in the second half and kind of, you know, put us in the ground at that moment.
Yeah, he just feels like he's the leader of the team, and he's locked in and being around everybody and trying to help everybody all the time. Only heard great things from our teammates, now, and the coaches and the staff. Definitely excited to watch him up close and be on the court with him at the same time as well.
Q. So you were teammates with Luka for a couple years and now your teammates with Shea and get to know him a little bit, two of the top players in the World Cup. How do you compare and contrast these guys not only as players but how they approach the game?
DAVIS BERTANS: Two different game styles. They can both go for triple doubles every single night but a little bit of a different approach to how toe play. Luka takes a little bit more time. He's got his moves but he's using his body really well.
With Shai, he's quicker, more athletic, a little bit faster. Just the differences in the game. I feel like Shai has improved his shooting in the last few years which is definitely going to help him and the team.
Q. When you were with the Spurs, you worked with Chip England, now that you're back, reunited with him, and what does that mean for your game and how do you help a young team that's trying to develop an identity?
DAVIS BERTANS: I'm glad to be on the same team with him again. Definitely one of the top, top shooting coaches in the world, and honestly, the only coach that ever allowed to -- I wouldn't even a change, adjust some things in my shot and my footwork. So that should say a lot about him as a coach.
As you've seen all the players that he's worked with, they all improved in shooting and every year, the shooting becomes a bigger and bigger part of the league and the game. So definitely excited to be with him on the same side again.
You know, he can help every single guy with shooting. So that's about it.
Q. After the World Cup, when you went back to your home country, how did the people react? I saw that on the video, because I can relate because I'm Japanese, and we did pretty good. How do you feel about coming to here?
DAVIS BERTANS: Kind of brings me back to the feelings I had in San Antonio, the same thing, the only professional sports team besides Major League Soccer team in San Antonio now but here, the only one, it's definitely big. You can see even coming here, playing on the road, the arena is always full and the atmosphere is great. It was even enjoyable to play here on the road, even when the team was not doing so great. Now it's getting better every year and I feel like the fans are going to pick it up even more. But definitely one of the top fan bases in the NBA.
Q. You've played in bigger leagues before coming over to the NBA, Micic is coming over. Can you give us a sense to how big of a deal he might be?
DAVIS BERTANS: First of all, he's an excellent point guard, now with a lot of experience, won Euroleague Championship, twice, or three times -- they were close another time. Definitely brings the experience of a guy who knows how to win and play for the team. He can help a lot of guys. It's going to be a little bit of an adjustment for him because obviously there's differences but in a way offensively it's a little bit easier. Might take some getting used to with the athleticism and speed of some guys here but I think Euroleague has been in that sense getting better every single year as well. I think the gap is not that big as it was when I came over now seven years ago.
Q. Might be too soon to know this but have you and the Thunder had any conversations about your role or expected minutes?
DAVIS BERTANS: I've never cared about that. It's not part of my job description. My job is to show up, work hard every single day. If I get on the court, give it everything I've got, and that's the coaching staff's stop, and I'm not going to do it right now discussing it. So whatever it is, I'm willing to give whatever I can for the team and we'll see when the games come.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports