The message comes every practice, loud and clear.
Patrick Patterson will move behind the 3-point line and hear a defender shout, “Corner shooter!” He'll set a screen and hear a Thunder teammate warn another, “Pick and pop!”
You've mostly seen a Patterson this season who's struggled with his timing and his shooting, who admits he's still getting “my legs and my lungs” after missing the preseason following knee surgery.
But his new Thunder teammates have been competing against him for years in Houston and Sacramento and Toronto. They know that he's only given glimpses of his defense, that he's a better shooter than he's shown.