Andre Roberson caught a pass in the corner. He pulled up and attempted a 3.
Nothing but net. On the sideline, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul stood up and celebrated, enthused.
It was Roberson’s first 3-pointer in two and a half years. It was his first time on the court since an injury in January 2018.
That game, a 98-84 win over the Boston Celtics in a scrimmage on Friday, was the first time Paul could celebrate Roberson’s success as a teammate.
“When I first got traded to OKC, I went down there to work out and hoop with the team, and Dre, it was the first day on the court trying to play pickup, and he had a set-back,” Paul said.
“I used to play against Dre year-in and year-out, and I got a chance to see him through this whole process and the hard work that he’s put in. It was an unbelievable feeling for us, to see one our brothers, to know what he’s been through mentally. I don’t know man, it’s crazy to see it.”
Roberson played 11 minutes, scoring five points on three shots. He had a block and a steal to go with a pair of rebounds.
Head coach Billy Donovan said it was not only great to see him on the court, but Roberson played well, too.
“I think you were able to see glimpses of what’s made him him such a great defensive player,” Donovan said. “The things that he does do, just how smart he is, and his ability with his feet and his length. He actually played really, really well and i give him a lot of credit for a guy that’s had out for as long as he has.”
Roberson played bigger than a guy his size, getting time at the power forward and center position against the Boston Celtics.
He said that his body felt good even against these bigger players — his only problem was that his new shoes were slipping a little on the court.
“Me getting a lot of reps in at (the) 4, 2 through 4 in practice, our offense is where we can be more interchangeable and I got thrown in there a little bit at the 5 today, which caught me by surprise,” Roberson said.
“It was just great to be back out there no matter what position it was, just be out there fighting with my guys.”
His guys, even though it’s an almost entirely different squad since the last time he stepped onto the court for game action.
“The circumstances that took place I think gave him this opportunity, so, to see him out there playing this game that we know he loves was special for everybody on our team,” Paul said.
