Aside from the Paul George trade, signing free agent Patrick Patterson was the biggest news of the summer for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Patterson, who is 28 years old, is considered to be the biggest name ever signed in free agency for the Thunder. He is expected to start at power forward, and he will wear number 54.
Patterson, whose nickname is 2Pat, comes to Oklahoma City by way of the Toronto Raptors, where he spent the last three-and-a-half seasons. He started his NBA career in Houston in 2010, when he was drafted 14th overall by the Rockets. After two-and-a-half seasons in Houston, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings, where he played the second half of his third season and the first half of his fourth season before being traded to Toronto.
The Thunder were not able to keep power forward Taj Gibson, who ended up signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves, which is what made Sam Presti make the move on Patrick Patterson, who averaged 6.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 24.6 minutes per game last season.
Patterson is not very tall for a power forward standing at 6’9″, but he is an agile defender who can move around the floor well, and he is a capable three-point shooter, making 36.8% of his attempts for his career. His defensive abilities will help all over the floor, and his shooting skills will help spread the floor offensively, so he should fit in well with Oklahoma City’s playing style.
Article written by Zack Low. Follow @TheThunderGuys on Twitter and Instagram.