The Oklahoma City Thunder have made a pair of significant win-now moves this summer by adding Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, the Thunder are determined to ensure long-term success and develop their young talent. This is an important step for a team that wants to have consistent championship-level rosters over a long period of time.
The Thunder made three selections in the 2024 NBA Draft and the Thunder will have the opportunity to see two of their rookies take the floor at the NBA Summer League. The Thunder will be participating in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.
4 OKC Players Who Will Stand Out in the 2024 NBA Summer League
Summer League Roster
The Thunder has officially released its NBA Summer League roster. With the Thunder participating in two different events over the next couple of weeks, there may be situations in which a player on the roster competes in Salt Lake City, but not Las Vegas — or vice versa.
The most noticeable names to keep an eye on include — Ousmane Dieng, Dillion Jones, Keyontae Johnson, and Ajay Mitchell.
Ousmane Dieng
Dieng is a former lottery pick with a lot of upside who is entering his third summer league which makes him the veteran of the group. Even though he’s the youngest player at 21-years-old. Dieng has the size (6’10), frame (225 pounds), and skillset — (flashes shot-making and creation potential, good ball-handler and feel for his size, and shows defensive upside) to really stand out. Dieng is in a situation where he must show out with this being his most important offseason yet as he’s still looking to crack the Thunder’s regular rotation.
Dillion Jones
With Nikola Topic out, all eyes will be on Jones as the standout rookie in this year’s draft class. Jones was selected with the 26th pick in the first round which included the Thunder — trading five second-round picks to the New York Knicks. Jones has the all-around skillset — (provides shot-creation, has good playmaking chops and feel, and plays with force) and frame — (standing at 6’6-nearly 240 pounds with a 6’11 wingspan) that makes him a strong candidate to standout at Summer League.
Keyontae Johnson
The Thunder have already filled out their three two-way spots for next season. Ajay Mitchell, Alex Ducas and Adam Flagler are locked into the deals. This means Johnson will likely need to earn OKC’s final roster spot if he wants to stay next season. Johnson was a second-round pick last year and was a standout in the G League as a rookie. Standing at 6’5, Johnson has a strong frame, plays with force, provides athleticism, and is good in transition — which checks all the boxes for standing out in Summer League.
Ajay Mitchell
Mitchell was selected with the 38th pick in the second round which included the Thunder — trading back into the second round with the New York Knicks. At 6’4, Mitchell can score at all three levels and will immediately provide floor spacing for the Thunder. Mitchell’s craftiness and the ability to really fill it up as a scorer makes him a great candidate to stand out at Summer League.
The biggest news regarding this Summer League for the Thunder is Cason Wallace, who will not participate in the NBA Summer League after having a standout rookie season in which he played a crucial role for the Thunder. Furthermore, the Thunder’s No. 12 pick Nikola Topic won’t be playing due to a partially torn ACL in which he is set to miss this upcoming season.
Summer League Schedules
The first of the Thunder’s two NBA Summer Leagues is in Salt Lake City. It’s a three-day event starting Monday (July 8th). The Utah Summer League takes place from July 8-10 with four teams participating — the Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
- July 8: vs Philadelphia 76ers (6:00 PM CT) on ESPN
- July 9: vs Utah Jazz (8:00 PM CT) on ESPN2
- July 10: vs Memphis Grizzlies (6:00 CT) on NBA TV
Next up, the Thunder will head to Las Vegas, with OKC’s first game being on Saturday (July 13th). All 30 teams participate in this event, which takes place July 12-22.
- July 13: vs Toronto (7:30 PM CT) on NBA TV
- July 15: vs Miami (5:00 PM CT) on ESPNU
- July 17: vs Phoenix (7:00 PM CT) on NBA TV
- July 19: vs Golden State (9:30 PM CT) on NBA TV
Following every team’s four-game slate, the top four teams will advance to the playoffs with a chance to play two more games. Every other team will have a fifth game to finish off their summer league slates in Las Vegas. This means the Thunder will have at least one more game after their four initial games, but that won’t be determined until later in the Las Vegas Summer League.
NBA Summer League is very important and an opportunity for players to showcase their skills and play in elevated roles that players may not have the opportunity to have during the regular season. Whether a player is on a full-time contract and hoping to earn a more prominent role next season, or a player hoping to secure a two-way or G League contract — whether it’s in OKC or somewhere else — this is where they have a chance to prove what they can do and bring on the court.
