OKC Thunder Rookies Could Play Important Role in Upcoming Road Trip

With a number of players on Oklahoma City's roster injured as the Thunder start a four-game road trip, the team will have to lean on two of its rookies.

Nov 1, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Dillon Jones (3) waits for play to resume during the fourth quarter at Moda Center / Brian Murphy-Imagn Images

On Monday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder travel to California to take on the Sacramento Kings, starting a four-game road trip for OKC.

In the Thunder's game against the Kings, however, Mark Daigneault's team will be without Alex Caruso, Ousmane Dieng and Jaylin Williams. Chet Holmgren is also out after suffering a hip injury on Nov. 10 and will be sidelined for an extended period of time.

In addition to the aforementioned players all being out for Monday night's contest, sharpshooter Isaiah Joe is questionable and may not be available.

With at least four rotation players missing from the Thunder's lineup, Daigneault will have to lean on Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell during Oklahoma City's upcoming stretch. After meeting the Kings on Monday, OKC will take on the Lakers, Warriors and Rockets on the road before returning to OKC on Dec. 3.

While Jones and Mitchell are still young players very early in their NBA careers, Daigneault has found minutes for them throughout the season, which should help the duo be prepared if they do become more regular contributors over the next few games.

Jones has played in 15 games so far this season, averaging 8.4 minutes per game. The first-round pick from Weber State's best game came against Dallas on Nov. 17, when Jones recorded 12 points, three assists and two rebounds, shooting 5-of-6 from the floor and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.

Mitchell has been a more regular contributor throughout the season, playing in 16 games and averaging over 16 minutes per appearance. Mitchell has scored in double figures four times this season, including in the Thunder's most recent contest, a win over Portland.

Mitchell is averaging 5.4 points, 1.9 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 50% from the field and 47.4% from the floor as a rookie.

With a handful of the Thunder's wing players out, Mitchell and Jones will likely see an uptick in playing time, with Mitchell potentially seeing a much larger role over the next week.

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