When it comes to offseason news, it’s hard to get the latest scoop on any particular story — especially coming out of Oklahoma City.
In an interview with Andrew Schlecht of Down to Dunk, draft prospect Vrenz Bleijenbergh helped give Thunder fans a rare insight into the organization’s draft workout process, how he felt about the team, and a little bit of his game.
Vrenz’s workout with the Oklahoma City Thunder marked not just his first NBA Draft workout, but also his first time arriving in the United States. Though he was planning on attending the NBA Draft Combine, but due to a lack of a visa, he was unable to be in attendance.
In Vrenz’s time in Oklahoma City, he took his first night to lay low in his hotel, but in the morning, Thunder draftee Vit Krejci helped show him around. “When I landed in OKC from Belgium, I slept in the hotel for the first night, and then the morning after Vit picked me up at the hotel, he showed me downtown. He showed me the gym, and he showed me some good spots. I was really getting used to it [the city]. I enjoyed it. And then we had a small workout together, and then the rest of the day, I rested for the day after. I had a good workout. I had a good talk with the coaches, trainers, and staff members. I really liked OKC a lot.”
Vrenz also cited that he and Vit have shared a longtime friendship.
In Vrenz’s conversations with Vit, he noted that a main talking point from Krejci rooted in the organization’s importance of family. A subject in which Vrenz also aligned with.
Vrenz’s workout with the Thunder involved a mixture of 1-on-1 drills, 3-on-3 drills, 5-on-5 drills, and a collection of shooting drills in his time on the floor. One interesting storyline from Oklahoma City’s workout drills — prospects took part in a 5-on-5 versus the coaching staff.
Mark Daigneault did play basketball at the high school level if you were wondering. In my eyes, that scrimmage may very well be the Thunder’s Monte Carlo.
Outside of on-the-court exercises, Vrenz took part in both vertical and speed testing throughout the day, even showing off the team’s facilities.
Members of Oklahoma City’s coaching staff, and coaches sat down with Vrenz for a sit-down interview, mentioning, “they [the coaching staff] really like my profile.”
Vrenz’s belief in Oklahoma City’s culture of “family” was reiterated in the interview phase, and the pristine care of the franchise was mentioned while working out.
“[There was detail in] how the balls were in the rack. They want to be perfect. If you come on the court, you need to tuck in your shirt. That’s not with other teams. It’s really the details that matter with them.”
Also fun tidbit, Vrenz addressed Oklahoma City as “we” in some stage of his interview with Down to Dunk, though he immediately changed his wording back to Oklahoma City. Was this a typical slip of the tongue, or a potential sign? Let’s leave that one blank for now.
As addressed in last week’s Draft Profile, Bleijenbergh’s is a 6-foot-11 perimeter piece who has shown potential with handling, finishing, and shooting the basketball.
He is a projected late first-round pick.
Vrenz Bleijenbergh will participate in 13 different draft workouts over the next two weeks, concluding with the Milwaukee Bucks on July 26. Whether he intends to stay in the United States for the draft is uncertain.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will have selections 6, 16, 18, 34, 36, and 55 in the upcoming draft class.