30-year-old Kenwei: Thunder New Era Flagman!

Click back to March 21, 2019. When the No. 4 jersey was hung above the Thunder home court, all the fans of the game expressed their respect to its owner. All this respect was given to the Thunder's soul-level player: Nick Collison.

What is different is that most of the players who have retired from the home team are basically the team's stars, but expounding Collison's 15-year career, his personal data is only 5.9 points and 5.2 rebounds. He has never been selected as an All-Star, nor has he received any personal honors. Judging from the standards of retired jerseys, such a star's performance is really mediocre.

But during this long fifteen years, from Seattle to Oklahoma, from the Supersonics to the Thunder, Collison never left the team regardless of the rise and fall of the team. His blue-collar style is the most reliable supporter around the star and the most respected part of the team's culture. It is the decades of hard work that has won the love of fans of Thunder City.

It is also because of this, when this story of one person and one city came to an end in the 2017-18 season, many Thunder fans had regretted that he had never won the championship for his life. And now, this spirit from the team's soul is gradually being taken over by another player, whose name is Kenridge Williams.

For Kenway, his value is very similar to that of Collison back then. He is a player who does not score but can ask the entire team to listen to him.

Judging from the talent of players, Kenway is not the kind of player who can be seen at a glance. Kenway's starting point is much lower than that of Collison, who was even favored by the prestigious University of Kansas, and was able to reach the NCAA Finals with the team.

But Kenwei is different. As a 198-year-old swaying man, he has no explosive physical fitness, no explosive talent, and is not even favored by any NCAA first-level school. He first played his freshman season at New Mexico Junior College, averaging 10.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

In a regular season game, Trent Johnson, a coach from Texas Christian University (TCU), fell in love with Kenway. Although he is not the most eye-catching scoring main player, he can handle many things beyond scoring, desperately trying to grab every out-of-control ball opportunity, and actively complete every screen. Although these contents will not be directly reflected in personal data, they have won the trust of his teammates and coaches. After the game on the spot, Trent Johnson decided to bring Kenway to TCU, and Kenway also brought his desperate style to the team. In this new team, Kenway spent his sophomore to senior season, averaging 8.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in his sophomore season, and 11.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in his junior season, winning the NIT season MVP.

Even though he was highly favored by the team, by 2018, Kenway, who graduated from college, was not selected by any NBA team. And that year, Kenwei was only 23 years old.

has no explosive power, no stable projection, nor has the value of a potential stock. It is an ordinary player who is between all-round and all-energy. And in this league, there are many such characters, and the ending of his defeat is not an unexpected thing.

But fortunately, he did not choose to give up. After losing the election, Kenway took the initiative to participate in the summer league trial of each team. As long as there was a crack in the goal, he would try his best to move forward. Finally, he got an opportunity in the Pelicans and was invited to participate in the summer league match. Behind this, what he got was not a guarantee contract or a two-way contract, it was just a verbal promise to let him "play it and see it".

But Kenway seized this opportunity and successfully stood firm in the team for two seasons. However, the Pelicans were in the reconstruction period after Davis left the team. The team urgently needed a core that could shoulder the future. Kenway was obviously not such a player. In the end, he was sent to the Thunder as Adams' trading chip.

Looking back at the value of this deal, Kenway is just a player who was taken with him and is basically not within the discussion of the fans. But it is also this character, regarded as an accessory, that will become the most indispensable part of the Thunder's reconstruction road in the future.

When he was first traded to the Thunder, Kenway was just the top player in the trade, so when he said to the media, "I want to retire in Oklahoma", it was inevitable that many people would be a bit too unrealistic. In general opinion at the time, he might have been the reinforcement chip on the Thunder's trading list like Josh Gidey before, and he would even be forgotten by the league soon.

But Kenwei is different. No matter what he faces, he still just does everything quietly, faces every game, every training, and every tactical cooperation seriously. Over time, his new teammates began to trust him, and the coach also supported him more and more.

Although the Thunder was in the reconstruction stage at that time, those who were valued in the eyes of the outside world were also those young stars with future value. But soon, Kenway began to let everyone understand his worth, he was not the kind of transition player who only went through the motions. He never missed training and always went all out of the game. Whether the team was behind or ahead, he wouldn't ask if there was a chance to play today, he would just make sure he was ready at any time.

"He is the kind of player you never need to worry about. He appears on time every day and practices hard every day, never needs to be reminded."

This is the Thunder head coach Dagnott's evaluation of Kenway. Because the young Thunder lacks the strength of veterans and the lack of locker room leaders, the appearance of Kenway happened to become the key player who sets the tone for the team.

He is not the strongest person on the court, but he is the hardest person, and the one who is most willing to do dirty and tiring. Just like when he was in college, he brought his strength to the Thunder, and he became the one who would stop and listen as long as he spoke..

Now, this is Kenway's fifth season with the Thunder, and he is already the third-old veteran in the Thunder after Alexander and Dorte. In this young team, even if he is not the most talented or the loudest, he will always be there.

In the mouths of young players in the team, Kenway is nicknamed "Uncle". This is just their age gap, and it is also a kind of respect for his attitude towards the game. Although Kenwei did not get much playing time during the Thunder's kingship, his existence is everywhere. The head coach trusts him and young teammates believe in him. Even just a word on the sidelines is enough to change the team's atmosphere.

In the first match of the Western Conference Semi-Finals, the young Homgren missed two free throws at the last moment of the game, and once became the target of criticism from fans. In this difficult moment, it was Kenway who appeared beside Homgren and accompanied him through the crisis. Homgren immediately made a bottoming rebound in the next game to give back the care of this "uncle".

"He is a positive person who brings us energy, and he represents the toughest part of our DNA."

This is what Grand Slam player Alexander said of Kenway in an interview, boldly affirming this senior who has survived the trough of Thunder reconstruction with him. Even though Kenway is only 30 years old, he is already one of the oldest players in this team, and the game attitude he brings is enough to be an example of these young players.

Just like Nick Collison back then, Kenway is not the kind of player who speaks by relying on data, but a strong giant who uses actions to interpret the Thunder spirit. As he said:

"Although this may sound far-fetched, I want to retire in Oklahoma."

This sentence is the promise he made in the face of the media the second year after joining the Thunder. Now he has successfully helped the team win the championship. At that time, he was a little arrogant. Now, he might really have a chance to take over the banner of the new generation of Mr. Thunder and protect this blue ocean.