OKC Thunder Rookies Show Off in Preseason Opener

En route to a win over the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder rookies Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell impressed in the first game of the preseason.

Oct 7, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) shoots over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder kicked off its preseason slate with a win, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 112-107 Monday night.

Aside from Jalen Williams' 18 points, the standouts of the night were rookies Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell. Each took the opportunity to showcase their talents on a preseason stage, combining for a total of 36 points.

Jones — the lone first-round pick suiting up for Oklahoma City this season — recorded 17 points, five rebounds and three assists on 8-of-11 shooting. He showed the ability to play off the ball and be a connector offensively, but he also was able to create his own shot and be an aggressive scorer.

With his strong offensive capabilities, it's hard to imagine Jones won't find his way into the Thunder rotation at some point during the regular season. It's a deep lineup with a lot of players who have spent multiple seasons within the rotation, but he's nearly a perfect fit for what Oklahoma City needs in its bench unit.

The Thunder's second-round pick, Mitchell, had just as impressive night. He added 19 points, two rebounds, two assists on 8-of-13 shooting, leading the team in scoring. There may not have been an expectation that he'd play a significant role in Oklahoma City this year, but he could be valuable scorer off the bench.

Between the play of both Jones and Mitchell last night, it's clear that the Thunder have two very capable rookies that could immediately step-in and be contributors for a championship-contending team. It may be without its top draft pick for the season — Nikola Topic — but they have two talented players that could impress given amble playing time.

The rest of the preseason should only allow the rookies to get more minutes and opportunities to be focal points of the team, which will give them a better chance to impress head coach Mark Daigneault and find their way somewhere into his rotation.

Oklahoma City has a knack for finding talent deep in the draft, and based on Jones' and Mitchell's performances against the Spurs, it should be no different this year.

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