OKC Thunder Rookie Dillon Jones Could See His NBA Debut Delayed

The Oklahoma City Thunder's crowded rotation could force rookie swingman Dillon Jones to camp on the sidelines a tad longer.

Dillon Jones stands with Thunder general manager Sam Presti during an introductory press conference for the 2024 Thunder draft picks at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center in Oklahoma City, Saturday, June, 29, 2024. / SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Oklahoma City Thunder rattled off 57 wins a season ago en route to the top seed in the Western Conference, their first playoff series win since 2016 and just the second sweep in franchise history. After another surprise - but extremely successful - season the Thunder still turned to the draft to bolster their squad.

Given the stockpile of Thunder draft picks, Oklahoma City still landed in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery with the No. 12 pick via the Houston Rockets which they used on Nikola Topic. The top playmaker in this class will be sidelined for the entire 2024-25 campaign with an ACL injury.

Sam Presti's draft class did not stop there, he traded five future second-round picks for Weber State product Dillon Jones selecting the swingman with the No. 26 pick in the draft and grabbing Ajay Mitchell in the second round during day two.

This adds on to already the best young core in the NBA which only improved this summer when the Thunder added Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso to the mix only missing Josh Giddey from last year's cast who made a meaningful impact.

Given Oklahoma City's embarrassment of riches, the Thunder could see Jones' debut be delayed with how crowded the Thunder's rotation will be. Taking on the Denver Nuggets in their season opener on Oct. 24 which will be far from a blowout limiting the chance for the first-year swing man to crack the rotation even with a stellar training camp and preseason.

However, given Mark Daigneault's love of rolling 12 players deep, and a roster that warrants it, it is tough to rule anything out. While night one could be a tough sell for Jones minutes, it will not be long until the Thunder find a way to work in the first-round player with tilts against the Bulls and Hawks to follow.

Ultimately, until a clearer picture is gathered during training camp, the safe bet right now will be for Jones to spend most of the 2024-25 season in the NBA G League with the reigning champion OKC Blue due to the nature of the Thunder's loaded roster.

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