On September 16th, Kayce drove to the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. Today was the team's training camp, and he didn't want to be late for the first day of practice.
After parking his car, he saw a vibrant Russell, who seemed to have enjoyed his vacation.
"Hey, Bro, how was Spain? I saw Nina kept posting pictures," Kayce said, approaching Russell and bumping fists.
"It was great, the sun, the beach, the climate, and the food. Nina really liked it there, but I still prefer Los Angeles," Russell, a devoted boyfriend, was especially good to his girlfriend.
"I'd like to visit Spain sometime too. You know, besides Manchester United, my favorite team is Real Madrid. Watching a game at the Bernabéu would be awesome."
Kayce was a bit wistful, as the girls in Spain were also very enthusiastic.
"I still prefer basketball. How about your playing time this season? Coach Brooks definitely won't mistreat you; he's always been very supportive of rookies."
Russell was still more concerned about his brother's situation on the team.
"Don't worry. Although I'm switching to point guard and starting from the bench, I think as long as I get stable playing time, these aren't problems," Kayce said with a smile.
"I'm relieved with you as the organizer. My most comfortable time playing was at UCLA. Back then, I just had to score and push the fast break. Last year, Brooks criticized me for tactical issues, but luckily with you here this year, I'll definitely play better!"
Russell had some minor issues in college; he was prone to getting emotional, lacked tactical execution, and struggled with offensive rhythm. It seemed these issues hadn't improved much yet.
As the two were talking, they arrived at the team's locker room. Most of the players were already there, chatting and joking around.
"Hey, Kayce, how was your vacation?" Durant, who was scrolling through Twitter, stood up and bumped fists with Kayce after seeing him.
"Mostly spent training. I don't want to mess up my rookie season," Kayce said humbly. He wasn't familiar with most of his teammates in the locker room yet.
"You need to learn to enjoy life, Bro. Welcome to the Thunder!" Jeff Green also came over to express his welcome, as they were already superficial brothers who had partied together.
Serge Ibaka also wanted to greet Kayce, but his English was still a bit halting. However, that didn't stump Kayce, who directly greeted him in Spanish.
"Serge, I know you. Russell told me your blocks are great!" Kayce actively bumped fists with the young Ibaka.
"God, you speak Spanish! That's great. Last year, I had trouble communicating on the team; my English was terrible," Ibaka, who had been holding it in, babbled on and on.
His teammates on the side looked at Kayce with curiosity. A high-draft pick, handsome and rich, with good relationships with the team's core, and he even spoke a foreign language. Was this rookie a monster?
Currently, the Thunder had very few old players, only center Nenad Krstić and forward Nick Collison were relatively older. Overall, the locker room atmosphere was good, and the older players didn't put on airs with Kayce.
"Alright, Serge, calm down for a moment. Kayce, follow me on Twitter quickly. You've released your first single, and your popularity is soaring. Let's follow each other to help me gain some followers."
Kayce's recent follower growth made Durant incredibly jealous. He currently had many haters, and the constant high-intensity online arguments were starting to wear him down.
"No problem, everyone come on, let's follow each other!" Kayce didn't care much about Twitter followers; his account was operated by Chapman.
Rookie Byron watched as the locker room enthusiastically welcomed Kayce, and he felt a pang of jealousy. They were both rookies, so why was Kayce so outstanding?
After the players changed into their training uniforms and arrived at the training gym, Coach Brooks nodded with satisfaction. Good, everyone maintained their physique well.
"Alright guys, the new season is about to begin. We need to stay in good shape. On October 5th, we'll start the preseason at home against the Utah Jazz. The coaching staff will announce the subsequent schedule."
"Our lineup might change this season, but playing time is earned through performance in practice. I won't emphasize this again. Today, we'll have a simple joint practice, and formal training will begin tomorrow."
Coach Brooks had high prestige within the team, and the players all supported him. Without old veterans, young players were easier to manage.
After a thorough warm-up, the team began joint practice, mainly focusing on tactical training. With Kayce joining the team to play point guard, the second unit underwent a significant change.
"Excellent, Kayce! Ibaka, after that screen, you should have immediately rolled to the basket so Kayce could pass the ball directly to you to attack the rim. You need to communicate with each other on the court."
What Coach Brooks appreciated most was Kayce's understanding and execution of tactics. He played with his brain, clearly recognizing the situation on the court.
The coaching staff also noticed that Kayce had almost completely integrated into the Thunder, as if he had been training with the team for months. His passes were always perfect, and he understood his teammates' playing habits very well.
During practice, Kayce, with the ball, called for a pick-and-roll with Ibaka. Although the screen wasn't solid, Kayce still successfully drove into the paint. Jeff Green was guarding him closely, but Kayce suddenly accelerated with a left-hand dribble, shouldering Jeff Green as he went up.
Center Kostić was about to come over to help defend when Kayce, in mid-air, passed the ball through a gap between the two to backup guard Eric Maynor, who took an open shot.
"Swish!" The three-pointer went in cleanly, and Menor immediately signaled to Kayce, indicating a good play.
Coach Brooks was very pleased. This was the advantage of a tall guard dominating the ball: wide vision and strong passing ability. If it were Menor, that shot would have been defended.
Kayce's integration into the team was also largely thanks to the Dream Training Space multi-player training mode. He had been playing training games with these teammates in the space every day during this period, so he was already familiar with their playing habits.
On the sidelines, Presti nodded to himself, seeing Kayce's performance. No matter how well Brooks had spoken of him before, it still depended on whether Kayce could integrate into the team. So far, it seemed drafting Kayce this year was a sure win!
After half a month of training camp, everyone had gotten to know each other a bit. Overall, Kayce felt good. At least he didn't have to run errands or carry bags for the old guys, as Durant was the team's star, and this was a young team.
On October 5th, the Ford Center in Oklahoma City slowly began to buzz. Although the preseason wasn't of much use, local fans would still support it, as ticket prices were really cheap.
In the locker room before the game, Durant was still intensely scrolling through Twitter. Kayce was genuinely curious and couldn't help but ask:
"Kevin, don't tell me you're arguing with a hater again."
"This guy keeps hating on me; I have to teach him a lesson and let him know my strength," Durant explained to Kayce while arguing online.
"Perhaps you could use an alt account to clap back at him. You're a big star; tweeting yourself doesn't fit your status," Kayce shrugged, offering Durant an idea.
Durant suddenly looked up at Kayce, then burst out laughing,
"Haha, you're so right! I need to create a few alt accounts to roast him! Kayce, that's a brilliant idea!"
Kayce was instantly speechless and thought, "Good heavens, how much do you care about other people's opinions? A millionaire arguing with fans is just too ridiculous!"