Thunder Mailbag: Summer League is Kicking Off

Answering the three best questions submitted to this week’s mailbag.

Feb 2, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng (13) moves / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports /

NBA Summer League has finally arrived for the Oklahoma City Thunder, as the team faces a three-game slate in Salt Lake City this week to kick off the first of two events on their summer circuit. This is always an exciting time on the NBA calendar, as we get a first look at all of the newest rookies around the league.

For Oklahoma City specifically -- operating as a contender -- this is an opportunity to see some of the younger pieces who could slot into the rotation in the future in action. While most of the players who take the court in NBA Summer League for the Thunder won't be part of the regular rotation in the upcoming season, it's still a great chance for them to showcase their upside.

Let’s answer the three best questions that were submitted for this week’s mailbag ahead of NBA Summer League:

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How important are the next few weeks for Ousmane Dieng?

I think from an external perspective in how the fanbase will view Dieng, NBA Summer League is very important. But what actually matters is how the Thunder views him as a piece on the roster. He likely will play very well in the coming weeks, just as he did in past summers. To me, it's less about the numbers he puts up and more about the assertiveness and aggressive nature in which he plays. The tools and positional size are both there for Dieng, but can he put it all into action? He should be able to dominate summer league competition at this stage in his development cycle. But even if he doesn't, I don't think that changes OKC's plans for him -- whether those current plans have him on the roster long-term or not. They've seen him up close for more than two years now and know what they have in him, so a few summer games likely won't change the internal perception -- though it is another data point.

Which player on the Thunder’s NBA Summer League Roster is relatively unknown now but you think will win over fans in the near future?

Malevy Leons is the player who continues to stick out for me on this roster as the most under-the-radar piece. He has great size, plenty of basketball experience, moves well at 6-foot-10 and is a great defender. Those are the types of players who end up making a name in NBA Summer League and ultimately earn a spot somewhere in the league. Although he went undrafted, I think there's a case to be made that he was worthy of a second-round pick, even as an older prospect.

What do you expect to see from Dillon Jones in NBA Summer League?

Jones likely won't be a player who breaks the box score in terms of filling it up in one particular statistic. Instead, he will be the type who logs multiple of nearly every stat, which will highlight his versatility and multi-faceted ability to impact winning. I also expect him to play all five positions at different points in the coming weeks. Jones truly does it all on the court, making this a very interesting opportunity for him to play alongside various players and take on multiple roles to build a vision around how he might fit into the Thunder's rotation at some point.

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Note: Questions may be paraphrased in order to group or aggregate similar submissions.

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