Oklahoma City doubles its lead in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft with Dillon Jones Trade

After selecting Nikola Topic with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder aggressively undrafted to add a second first-round pick.

It took five future second-round picks to trade away to acquire the 26th overall pick from the New York Knicks and acquire Dillon Jones, but Oklahoma City saw it as a valuable opportunity to add a second rookie to its upcoming class. Jones is coming off an extremely productive four-year college career, capped by Big Sky Player of the Year honors. After being snatched by the Thunder, he officially became the first Weber State Wildcat drafted since Damian Lillard.

Considering the Thunder have at least four spots on their preseason roster with departing free agents, adding a second rookie to the lineup won’t cause problems. This is especially true because Topic won’t fit in this season. Jones will have every opportunity to earn minutes with the Thunder this upcoming season, but he may also benefit from time spent in the G League with the OKC Blue.

At 6-foot-7, Jones’ game is unlike any other player on the Thunder’s current roster. While this makes it difficult to assess his fit with the team and his expected role, it makes him even more valuable because it provides a new wrinkle.

When asked about the Thunder’s draft philosophy after Wednesday’s event – not just for this class of prospects, but more holistically – Thunder general manager Sam Presti alluded to positional size, versatility, on-ball decision-making and, all-important, high-level processing. things for Oklahoma City. Jones certainly checks those boxes as a very unconventional player from both a physical and stylistic standpoint.

He averaged a near-double-double last season at Weber State, posting 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per contest. Jones was a great free throw shooter at 85.7%, but he only converted 32.4% of his threes, which will be a swing skill for him in the league. Overall, he was one of the most productive players in all of college basketball last season, so it all depends on how his play translates to the NBA. His greatest strengths are his speed and athleticism, so it’s worth paying attention to during the NBA Summer League, which will be the first opportunity to see Jones in a Thunder uniform.

The Thunder’s scouting department is one of the best in the league, which makes this pick even more interesting. While it’s no surprise that Jones went to the first round, most certainly expected him to go to the second round. There is something about his game that the striker thinks will be postponed, which could easily be the case.

His rebounding power is tremendous, which will help Oklahoma City overcome the team’s deficiencies. He won’t be the full solution to this problem, but he’s certainly someone who will clean the glass on the pitch and is a great positional passer.