Stiles Points: Dillon Jones Can Benefit From Extended G League Time

The Oklahoma City Thunder need to send Dillon Jones to the G League as much as possible during the 2024-25 season.

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. Mandatory Credit: Brian Murphy-Imagn Images / Brian Murphy-Imagn Images

Good things come to those who wait and Dillon Jones should wait for NBA minutes. Despite Mark Daigneault throwing the Weber State rookie into 15 of the team's 16 contests this season to the tune of 8.4 minutes per game, he just is not ready.

Outside of a fantastic outing against the Dallas Mavericks, these have been largely forgettable chances for Jones. The first-round pick, who Sam Presti coveted for two straight drafts before trading five future second-round picks to grab him back in June, needs some NBA G League seasoning.

This is nothing new in Bricktown. Fixtures of the Thunder's rotation such as Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Jaylin Williams and even Alex Caruso have spent time with the OKC Blue during their career. In different systems, but Isaiah Hartenstein benefited greatly from G League time before his breakout and $87 million dollar payday.

This is not the call for demotion it seems but rather a chance for the organization to capitalize on his potential.

Often times, ceiling is tied to age and while Jones is no spring chicken in the world of the NBA at 23-years-old, he still has plenty of potential.

While his game was versatile in college and he will point to his first two years at Weber State where his cutting was off the charts, the reality is he is not only learning a new system but a new position entirely. The game looks too fast for him, a common situation for rookies.

Defensively, he looks lost and sluggish more often than not. Still learning how to use his frame and leverage against bigger players and at times too timid to mix it up. Of the hurdles, this is his biggest to clear. Look no further than the OKC Blue head coach Kameron Woods.

Woods, an elite defensive player in his own right, is an even better teacher. When he was an assistant on Mark Daigneault's Thunder staff he was credited with their surprisingly strong defense despite the team only turning in 20-something wins. In the G League, he has done wonders for Jaylin Williams and Dieng on that end of the floor to name a few.

"I think [Dillon Jones] is learning on [the defensive] end, but the thing that helps him is he competes and he is smart, he is really bright. So when there is a lot of action going on, he can see what is going on and really quarterback from the back end. He is doing a good job, but like any young player he is still learning, he is still growing," Wood said.

With the coach-ability of Jones, the size and athleticism he could benefit from the Williams fast track defensive crash course from Professor Woods.

Many forget the Arkansas big man, who was tabbed the starting center in the second half of his rookie season, played the first half with the Blue. He came back a different player capable of getting the Thunder to the play-in tournament.

"It's been fun [coaching Dillon Jones], he is a great guy to coach. He wants all the answers to the test...I think the biggest compliment to him is you can plug him into any team any role and he will find a way to impact the game," Woods said following Friday's win over the Vipers.

Offensively, the Blue let him play on the ball more in his debut. Friday he racked up a 12-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. His vision and elite skip passes created advantages for his teammates. However, there are not many on-ball reps to go around at the NBA level.

That leads us to his 4-for-11 shooting night where the swingman was unable to create separation for himself and seldomly attacked hard downhill (though when he did, it worked!) - far too often got the ball just to be forced to pass it on like an after school special kindness commercial after not being able to do much with it.

Those are not great signs when more often than not he was being defended by far lesser athletes than himself.

Learning to tap back into those cutting instincts and floating to the dunker spot as a bail-out option with the G League would be beneficial for his long-term success.

"Because of him playing different roles a lot of his [emphasis] is just system skills...Just continuing to grow when he doesn't [have the ball], screening, rolling, cutting, it is more of those system skills [Dillon Jones] is focused on when he is with [the Blue]."

This would be an opportunity Jones seems eager for. Take it from the 6-foot-5 forward himself, this wouldn't be a banishment but rather a benefit.

“As a rookie, if I’m just getting mad or pouting because I’m not playing as much or things aren’t going my way or I don’t look how I look in college, it won’t help me in 3 years when I’m supposed to be counted on,” Jones said at Thunder practice on Sunday.

Perhaps the biggest reason to allow Jones to follow in the others footsteps is his willingness to maximize his chances with each club. Not looking to play black top basketball in the G League but rather seeking the benefit from those minutes to boost his NBA future.

“When you go down [to the G League], especially being a player here on the roster, you can have a bunch of freedom, do a lot of different things. But that won’t be my role here… Why would I try to do those things? I try to do things that’ll scale up here," Jones said.

The rookie made the most of his NBA G League debut Friday and there should be more where that game from.

Stiles Points

• Branden Carlson is catching on fast to the OKC Thunder's unique style, which OKC Blue head coach Kameron Woods broke down on Friday.
• Mark Daigneault has long griped about the lack of free throws for the Oklahoma City Thunder. At practice on Friday, the Thunder bench boss nailed down what the Thunder can do to help their case.
• On Saturday at practice, the Thunder media saw Chet Holmgren in attendance for the first time since the rising stars' injury.
• The Oklahoma City Thunder need Isaiah Joe to return to the hardwood in a big way to help the offense.

Song of the Day: Family Tradition by Hank Williams Jr.

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