The Thunder had their annual Blue & White Scrimmage at the Chesapeake Energy Arena for the 1st time since the team relocated to OKC. It was a great experience and it was even better for the fans to be able to get a good look at the new OKC Thunder roster. This was the first time we were able to see Dennis Schroder play with Paul George and other starters. The White team was loaded with potential starters Paul George, Patrick Patterson, Steven Adams, Terrance Ferguson, and Dennis Schroder. The starters for the Blue team were Deonte Burton, Jerami Grant, Tyler Davis, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Abdul Gaddy. The White team dominated in this matchup but it was good to see the 2nd unit get some great run against the starters. Paul George was on fire early and was able to get to his spot as many times as he wanted to against Deonte Burton. Paul George led all scorers with 23 points on 50% shooting from the field and added 6 assists with 8 rebounds. The chemistry between Dennis Schroder and Paul George was on full display as they were able to connect on multiple plays that finished with 3 pointers or easy layups at the basket. Paul George looked confident and aggressive with his play on both sides of the ball on Sunday. If Paul George can continue to play like that OKC should be in good hands while Russell Westbrook is recovering from his knee surgery.

Dennis Schroder looked very comfortable in the lineup with Paul George and no plays were forced at all everything came naturally. Dennis was able to get to the basketball whenever he wanted and was blowing by Bryce Alford with ease. He displayed his scoop shot and Schroder also showcased his vision to find his teammates. The chemistry that Schroder and George were playing with didn’t happen overnight at all it started in LA. The Thunder players got together during the offseason and played pickup games at UCLA which helped big team. This Thunder roster already had a lot of chemistry coming into the season which was big for a player like Dennis Schroder who joined the team in July via trade. This is the first time Billy Donovan has a team that has already chemistry before training camp in his tenure as the Oklahoma City Thunder coach. Overall Schroder looked really good and played like a floor general and looked like he already knew a lot of his teammate’s hot spots on the court. Schroder brings that grit to the roster and someone that will find his teammates in the right moments to compliment Westbrook. Dennis Schroder finished with 22 points and 12 assists on the night and this is exactly what the Thunder will need from him until Russell Westbrook comes back.

Patrick Patterson was another bright spot in the Blue & White Scrimmage as he logged in 39 minutes and scored 22 points. Patrick Patterson looked really good and was hitting his jumper when given the opportunity. He looked in amazing shape and he was able to push the tempo with the White team. It was a good outing for Patrick Patterson as he was playing in midseason form on Sunday. It will be interesting to see what happens with Patterson and Grant on the season for the starting power forward spot on the team. In my personal opinion, it will be switched on a matchups basis and it depends on the hot hand for who will start in those moments. Jerami Grant had 6 points in 19 minutes in the scrimmage so we will find out more about the situation during the preseason.

The Thunder will start their preseason off against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday in Oklahoma City.