OKC Thunder 24'/25' Summer Overview
Summer League thoughts and look at potential starting lineup
SUMMER LEAGUE NOTES
Let’s start off with a young veteran on the team, Ousmane Dieng. Dieng, the 3rd year forward from France suited up in the Utah Summer League series but not in Vegas. He had an underwhelming stint but did show that he was working on areas of improvement, aggressiveness and creating offense. He averaged almost 16 points a game, he just needs to show more confidence offensively. He is 6’10 and athletic enough to make more noise than he has so far. I think his most sound game was against Memphis where he turned in 18 points, 8 boards, 4 dimes and 4 blocks. He was very active on the glass, defense, and he finally settled in. Dieng went 3 of 10 from deep after going 4 of 6 in his previous showing, so he has the capability to shoot from the perimeter, he just needs to be consistent. He was shut down in Vegas as he is a veteran, but I think it would have served him well to get in at least a game or two. The rotation minutes will be hard to come by with the Thunder and I’m not sure he did enough to crack the rotation.
Dillon Jones was one of my favorite prospects coming out of this draft. Specifically, he was number 17 on my final big board. I like Jones talent overall; he has a high motor and does a little bit of everything. Sometimes he did too much this summer with the number of turnovers he had. Jones felt like he had to take on too much responsibility, he wanted to make too many big swings, but he needs to reel it in and play within more control. He looked good from a ball handling standpoint though in my opinion, he has a good feel for game flow, and he dictates pace. He is a player that can fill up the stat sheet, really good rebounder and flashes as a passer. The word is that he will have to understand how to be efficient in a smaller role come the regular season. He is 6’6, 240 lbs. so his weight allows him to get to the basket easily but sometimes it prevents him from getting around creases in space, that a twitchier athlete may not have a problem with. I think he has the intelligence to find the role he would have in the rotation, his ability to score and be a utility man should serve him well.
Ajay Mitchell is the Thunder’s 38th pick this year and he showed out this summer. He was an instant connector with his teammates, very smooth and poised with on ball duties. Mitchell played with poise and showed he can dish it out with good court vision. He is a good backdoor cutter and works well around the baseline. He showed that he can stay in the paint to grab boards and to get some looks at the basket. Mitchell is adept at changing speeds and getting open for stop and pops as well as shooting off the dribble. It’s being reported that he will play in the G league, many feel that he will hit the ground running. I think his showing in the summer will afford him some time with the real team at different points this upcoming season, he was the best player on the roster this summer.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
PG- SGA
SG- Alex Caruso
SF- Luguentz Dort
PF- Jalen Williams
C- Chet Holmgren
PROJECTED BENCH UNIT
PG- Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe
SG- Aaron Wiggins
SF- Ousmane Dieng, Dillon Jones
PF- Kenrich Williams
C- Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams