Stiles Points: How to Evaluate OKC Thunder Summer League Sessions

The Oklahoma City Thunder have shut down NBA hopefuls on their Summer League roster, how can you evaluate this stretch of games?

Apr 10, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Adam Flagler (14) dribbles the ball down the court against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

When the NBA converges on Vegas each season for a summertime getaway and a chance to get a sneak peek at the future stars of tomorrow, the questions always arise of how to evaluate this time period on the court. Especially as teams begin to shut down NBA quality players and the product on the floor looks closer to what you see at the Aggie Gym than the Paycom Center.

In an era of wanting to craft a take over everything, the exhibition July slate offers a chance to overreact which is not the true way things should be judge in the Sin City. The bottom line is, the final score does not matter - neither does at least half of every summer league roster - in the grand scheme of impacting the NBA at a varsity level.

The majority of the summer league participants are attempting to showcase their skills for a G League opportunity to continue to pursue their ultimate goal of the big leagues. With that, individual performances mean much more than team results, and grading those outings with a curve of talent around them is important as well.

For the Thunder, the names truly worth evaluating in this setting are Ousmane Dieng, Adam Flagler, Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell - all under contract for next season in Oklahoma City. Their summer stint came to an end on Wednesday when the team announced they would all miss the final two games of the Summer League stretch to allow OKC to evaluate the rest of their roster.

Mitchell, Jones, Dieng and Flagler all performed to expectation or exceeded them during these July hoop sessions which is all that truly is worth evaluating. The two rookies looked poised and flashed on both ends, Dieng shook off some rust after game one and looked more aggressive and Flagler continues to make a name for himself beyond the arc.

Ultimately, despite their winless streak in Vegas which is rivaling a 61-year-old on the slot machines right about now, the Thunder have pulled off a very successful Summer League stint given the development they have seen from key players on their roster. That is what is worth evaluating.

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