Stiles Points: Dillon Jones Pops in Summer League Debut

On Monday night the Oklahoma City Thunder kicked off their Summer League schedule, a seven-game stretch divided up between two cities started out in Salt Lake City, Utah. This marked the debut of Weber State product Dillon Jones, who the Thunder selected with the No. 26 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

While Summer League is not something to overreact to, it is still an important benchmark. Comparable to April baseball - You can not win the A.L. Central in April, but you sure can lose it. Jones started off on the right foot to his NBA career, displaying why the Thunder felt confident in trading five future second-round picks for his services.

This was the second straight season the Thunder targeted Jones, wanting to make him a second-round pick last year before the Weber State swingman went back to college in an attempt to boost his stock to first-round status. Oklahoma City made that dream come true just weeks ago.

Against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, Jones displayed an ability to play at his own pace, looking not just comfortable but in command within the flow of the game, and made more than a few eye-popping plays.

Two plays from Jones' nine-point, ten rebounds, and seven assist night stand out above the rest. Starting on the defensive end where it is easy to see how the 22-year-old can fit in with the variety squad.

The 76ers worked for an Adam Bona post-up chance where the rookie big man had Ajay Mitchell sealed off on the low block poised to pull off an easy drop step slam to continue to march his way to an impressive debut which finished with seven points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.

Jones realizes this mismatch and immediately calls for Mitchell to pull off a scram switch where Jones will rush over to cover Bona in the post - ideally while the ball is in the air to the UCLA product - while Mitchell flies out to the 3-point shooter.

Jones makes the call to switch and 76ers guard Dowtin is forced to a secondary read which includes whipping a pass across the court for a lightly contested miss triple - a shot that would've been more contested if the UC Santa Barbara guard reacted to the call out a tough faster.

The Oklahoma City Thunder then saw that basketball prowess from Jones stand out on the offensive end - despite the missed shot from his teammate it is another area where you can see the feel for the game pop and have to envision what things will look like at the next level.

The 76ers come out in a 2-3 zone for this possession and Jones immediately picks up on it. He gets the ball and places his teammates making sure Ousmane Dieng stays put in the slot while bringing KJ Williams to the ball to shift the zone defense.

Jones gives the ball to Williams and it draws in shaded coverage from Dieng's side of the floor, the Weber State product goes and gets a hand-off from the big man as the ball barely returns to Jones he fires it over to Dieng for a clean look at a triple.

Despite the miss, creating this sort of advantage and having the command of the group is another sign that Jones is NBA-ready. His box score will not show just how good he was in his debut. The odds say the shots will rim in for both himself and others, and his awareness levels with his frame will take him far.

Stiles Points:

• Ousman Dieng took a step back on Monday night after a solid season of development in the G League. The 2022 Lottery pick reverted back to some bad habits.
• Ajay Mitchell started out a bit shakey, especially facing on-ball pressure, but as he settled in he began to really take over at times finishing with 14 points, four assists, two blocks and three steals.
• Kylor Kelley showed off his ability to use his frame to create space for his guards and finish plays, the former Maine Celtic would be a quality pick-up for the OKC Blue.
• OKC Thunder two-way guard Adam Flagler splashed in six triples to highlight his high-end NBA skill after shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc in the G League last season. Flagler will need to continue to improve defensively and as a playmaker to earn more NBA minutes.
• Isaiah Hartenstein is looking to maximize his game with the OKC Thunder as he explained at his introductory press conference.

Song of the Day: Under Your Spell Again by Buck Owens.

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