Coming back from injury is one of the most difficult things for a player to go through and Patrick Patterson is no different. The Oklahoma City Thunder forward returned from surgery last season but was slow to feel like himself again. He says that this year is completely different.
Patrick Patterson says how he feels now compared to last fall when he came off surgery is “a night and day difference.”
— Brett Dawson (@BDawsonWrites) September 30, 2018
Patterson, 29, is entering his ninth year in the league and he can play a valuable role on the Thunder. He'll play decent minutes on the second unit. He's experienced enough to play in a big spot and most importantly, he's completely healthy.
The Thunder are looking to rebound from what was a successful year, but OKC definitely did not finish where they wanted to. With Paul George and Carmelo Anthony joining Russell Westbrook, Thunder fans had dreams of contending in the Western Conference and possibly pushing the Golden State Warriors.
Instead, chemistry issues persisted, Carmelo Anthony fell off a cliff, Andre Roberson's season ended early due to injury, and the Thunder bowed out to the upstart Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs. But in year two of the Paul George experiment, there is no room for excuses. Melo is gone so the defense should improve. Patterson is fully healthy. Roberson is well on his way to full health. Dennis Schroder will lead the second unit and should provide a much-needed offensive spark off the bench.
Patterson and the Thunder are poised for success, but it won't be easy. The brutal Western Conference will be a minefield of great teams and the Thunder can't afford to have the same chemistry issues that hampered their success last season.
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