Tag: Dillon Jones

NBA 2K25 overall ratings for OKC Thunder rookies revealed

NBA 2K25 overall ratings for OKC Thunder rookies revealed.

It’s August, which means less than a month remains from the annual release of the NBA 2K video game. NBA 2K25 — which releases on Sept. 6 — will provide gamers the first chance to play with the latest versions of rosters among the 30 NBA teams.

To tease and build excitement, NBA 2K has slowly released players’ overall ratings. They can change throughout the 2024-25 regular season. It recently revealed the ratings for the top rookies.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have three entrants from the 2024 NBA draft. Nikola Topic, Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell were all selected within the first 38 picks.

Topic has a 72 rating; Jones has a 69 rating; and Mitchell has a 68 rating.

These are pretty respectable beginner ratings for all three players. The Thunder don’t expect much from their rookie class this upcoming season.

Topic will be redshirted as he recovers from a torn ACL. Mitchell is limited with his two-way deal. Jones is the only one of the trio who could see minutes throughout the season but that’s a distant possibility barring health.

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Thunder rookies Dillon Jones, Ajay Mitchell to sit remainder of summer league

Thunder rookies Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell will sit for the remainder of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Oklahoma City Thunder rookies Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell will sit for the remainder of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire.

The team is also shutting down second-year guard Adam Flagler.

Jones and Mitchell both appeared in five summer league games for the Thunder between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. The team will now get an opportunity to further evaluate other players on the roster over the remainder of their schedule in the desert.

Without the trio, the Thunder lost 100-99 to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. Buddy Boeheim produced a team-high 20 points, Jaden Shackelford had 18 points and Keyontae Johnson added 16 points to lead the Thunder, who dropped to 0-3 in Las Vegas.

Jones finished the summer averaging 13 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals on 40.7% shooting from the field. The 26th pick registered three games in double figures, including 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists on July 9 in a win over Utah.

Mitchell, who is signed a two-way contract, averaged 16.4 points, 4.6 assists, three rebounds and 1.6 steals on 40% shooting from 3-point range. The 38th pick finished off his stay by recording 21 points, five assists and two rebounds on Monday.

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Several Thunder players attend OKC’s summer league loss to Raptors

Several Thunder players attend OKC’s summer league loss to Raptors.

After three games in Utah, the Oklahoma City Thunder flew to Las Vegas to join the rest of the league for the more traditional summer league.

They were flat in their first contest with a 94-69 loss to the Toronto Raptors, but several Thunder players were in attendance for the showing.

Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace and Isaiah Hartenstein made their way to their seats to watch their teammates play. The Thunder have a pair of rookies in the contests with Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell.

Jones finished with 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting, seven rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes. He shot 2-of-4 from 3.

Mitchell tallied 15 points on 6-of-18 shooting, three assists, three rebounds and three steals in 30 minutes. He shot 2-of-5 from 3.

“It was crazy because I didn’t really notice them until the end of the game,” Jones said on his teammates’ presence. “It’s crazy those are technically my teammates and brothers now. It’s still a crazy feeling because of their stature and who they are as players.”

Holmgren and Williams get to enjoy summer league from the sidelines this year. Both participated in the event for the last two years. They’ve graduated from the July exhibitions.

The Thunder have a few more games left in their summer league schedule. Holmgren and Williams used the first contest in Las Vegas to support their new teammates.

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OKC Thunder announces 2024 Summer League roster

OKC Thunder announces 2024 Summer League roster.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have announced their 2024 summer league roster on Sunday. They will play at least seven games from July 8-19. They could play as late as July 22 if they qualify for the event’s playoffs.

OKC will participate in the Salt Lake City summer league from July 8-10 and the traditional Las Vegas summer league from July 13-19 at the very least. The full schedule for both events can be read here.

Blue head coach Kam Woods will lead the Utah squad while Blue assistant Daniel Dixon will lead the Vegas squad.

The 18-player roster is filled with third-year vets, two-way players, rookies, undrafted free agents and G League players. The full Thunder summer league roster is:

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Ousmane Dieng and Dillon Jones headline the roster. The former will participate in his third straight summer league. The latter headlines OKC’s rookie class among healthy players.

Keyontae Johnson is also another notable name on the roster. He had his rights renounced by the Thunder recently, which makes him an unrestricted free agent. This came after a redshirt rookie campaign last year as the 24-year-old spent most of the season in the G League.

The Thunder’s top rookie Nikola Topic is left off this summer’s event. The 18-year-old slid to the No. 12 spot as he recovers from a partially torn ACL.

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Thunder’s Dillon Jones explains deep importance of No. 3 jersey

Thunder’s Dillon Jones explains deep importance of No. 3 jersey.

After one press conference, it’s evident why the Oklahoma City Thunder fell head over heels for Dillon Jones to the point they shipped five future second-round picks to acquire him.

The 22-year-old had a unique journey to the NBA. He went from a zero-star high school prospect who spent four years at small-school Weber State to a first-round selection.

Turning down the chance to get drafted in the second round last year and later significant NIL money to transfer, Jones stuck to his principles and bet on himself. The risky gamble paid off for the No. 26 selection of the 2024 NBA draft.

He dominated his senior season with the Wildcats and was added by one of the best-developing organizations in the league.

Jones possesses great self-awareness and maturity that strides away from most first-round selections. He understands his NBA role will be downsized from what it was at Weber State as the top option but is fine with that.

“Being the guy made me know what the guy will need from me,” Jones said.

This was a great response that won a lot of Thunder fans over. The usual first-round pick likely enters the league with dreams of being an All-Star, but Jones understands his best path to success likely involves being a solid role player.

Considering his characteristics, it shouldn’t be a shocker Jones’ selection of the No. 3 jersey held a deeper meaning than the average number choice by a player. The 22-year-old opened up about the meaning behind the number and stated it has deep sentimental roots in his family.

“(My brother) grew up with the No. 3 and things like that,” Jones said. “As this journey’s gone, I’ve just tried to honor different people with my numbers. That was his number. Three is big in our family.”

After scanning the available numbers, a lightbulb went off in Jones’ head when he came across the No. 3 — which was previously worn by Josh Giddey for three seasons.

“A person that’s close to us — his best friend — passed away in high school. He wears the No. 33 to honor him,” Jones said. “When the No. 3 was available, I just thought it’d be something good to honor the family and keep that in there.”

This is just the latest example of how thoughtful Jones is. Working his way up from being in a small school to a first-round selection requires strong character and he’s shown that already before he even donned a Thunder jersey.

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OKC Thunder’s 2024 Las Vegas Summer League schedule revealed

OKC Thunder’s 2024 Las Vegas Summer League schedule revealed.

As the 2024 NBA draft is officially concluded, the league announced the 2024 Summer League schedule on Friday. The Las Vegas event is scheduled from July 12-22.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are scheduled to play at least four games. They could play additional games if they qualify for the postseason tournament.

The Thunder’s summer league schedule is:

  • Thunder vs. Raptors on Saturday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. CT (NBA TV)
  • Thunder vs. Heat on Monday, July 15 at 5 p.m. CT (ESPNU)
  • Suns vs. Thunder on Wednesday, July 17 at 7 p.m. CT (NBA TV)
  • Warriors vs. Thunder on Friday, July 19 at 9:30 p.m. CT (NBA TV)

The Thunder are also scheduled to play in the Salt Lake City summer league. The full schedule can be viewed here. The Thunder will play three games in Utah from July 8-10.

This means the Thunder will play seven summer league games in a 16-day window. This will mark the first chance OKC see rookies Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell suit up for its squad. Nikola Topic will be out as he recovers from a partially torn ACL.

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2024 NBA draft: How to watch, broadcast info for second round

2024 NBA draft: How to watch, broadcast info for second round.

The 2024 NBA draft has arrived and if you’re wondering how you can watch the event live, you’ve come to the right place.

The first round is in the books, which means the second round will play out on Thursday to finish the inaugural two-day draft. The second round will consist of selections 31-58.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the draft:

  • Date: Thursday, June 27
  • Time: 3 p.m. CT
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Live Stream: Fubo (watch for free)

The Oklahoma City Thunder have already drafted a pair of rookies in the first round. They added Nikola Topic with the No. 12 selection and traded back into the first round to add Dillon Jones with the No. 26 selection.

The Thunder enter the second round without a single draft pick, but that can obviously change with trades.

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2024 NBA draft: Thunder trade for No. 26 pick, add Weber State’s Dillon Jones

2024 NBA draft: Thunder trade for No. 26 pick, add Weber State’s Dillon Jones.

The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Weber State’s Dillon Jones with the No. 26 pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft. This comes after the Thunder acquired the draft pick from the New York Knicks.

The Thunder ship five second-round draft picks from 2025-27 to the Knicks, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The 22-year-old played four college seasons from 2021-24 at Weber State. He was a starter in his last three seasons with the Wildcats.

In 31 games last season, Jones averaged 20.8 points on 48.9% shooting, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and two steals. He shot 32.4% from 3 on 3.4 attempts. At 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, he has good size for a forward.

Jones joins Nikola Topic as the Thunder’s first-round haul. He was selected with the No. 12 selection.

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Report: Weber State’s Dillon Jones had predraft workout with Thunder

Report: Weber State’s Dillon Jones had predraft workout with Thunder.

The calendar has flipped to June, which means NBA teams are intensifying their predraft process and hosting players for workouts and visits. The 2024 NBA draft will take place from June 26-27.

The Oklahoma City Thunder enter this year’s class with a sole draft pick of the No. 12 selection. OKC was gifted the free lottery pick via the Houston Rockets.

The Thunder have hosted several meetings with draft prospects in the past few weeks. This includes players outside the lottery range as OKC will likely seek to add undrafted free agents or even buy back into the second round if it likes someone enough.

One possibility is Weber State’s Dillon Jones. He reportedly had a predraft workout with the Thunder, per The Athletic’s Andrew Schlecht on his “Down to Dunk” podcast.

The 22-year-old played four college seasons from 2021-24 at Weber State. He was a starter in his last three seasons with the Wildcats.

In 31 games last season, Jones averaged 20.8 points on 48.9% shooting, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and two steals. He shot 32.4% from 3 on 3.4 attempts. At 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, he has good size for a forward.

Jones is likely a second-round selection. This means the Thunder will need to trade back into the second round if they like him enough. He’d likely spend most of his next season with the G League’s OKC Blue.

A full list of 2024 NBA draft prospects that have worked out or visited the Thunder in the predraft process can be viewed here.

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Dillon Jones: NBA draft scouting report and intel

2001 | 6’6 | 6’11 WS | 235 LBS Team: Weber State Agent: Sam Permut (Roc Nation) Best aggregate mock draft rank: 14 / Worst rank: N/A 2023-24 stats: In 2023-24, Jones averaged 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 0.1 blocks, and 2.0 steals per …

2001 | 6’6 | 6’11 WS | 235 LBS

Team: Weber State

Agent: Sam Permut (Roc Nation)

Best aggregate mock draft rank: 14 / Worst rank: N/A

2023-24 stats:

In 2023-24, Jones averaged 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 0.1 blocks, and 2.0 steals per game. He shot 48.9 percent from the field, 32.4 percent from three, and 85.7 percent from the foul line.