The Thunder’s offseason may be quiet, but Josh Dix’s path is anything but. For an undrafted rookie on a two-way deal, the margin for error is thin, and the first order of business is simple: make himself impossible to overlook.
Dix is the kind of player who can get lost fast if he doesn’t flash something early. Oklahoma City signed him after the draft, but he didn’t do much in Summer League to change the conversation.
That leaves him with work to do in training camp, preseason, G League games and whatever chances he gets in garbage time. If he’s going to stick, he has to look like an NBA player every time he steps on the floor.
The clearest way for him to do that is from the outside. In his final college season at Creighton, Dix shot 33.8% from 3 on six attempts.
The Thunder need that shot to become a louder part of his game, not a quieter one. Summer League suggested he was a little hesitant to let it fly, and that won’t cut it moving forward.
His roster spot also comes with real pressure. Two-way contracts are built for churn, and there’s no guarantee he lasts the full season.
Among Oklahoma City’s three two-way players, Dix appears to have the toughest hold on a job. Brooks Barnhizer has seniority, and Otega Oweh came in as the No. 41 pick.
Even so, simply surviving the season matters. Two-way players can be active for 50 regular-season games, and Dix probably won’t be anywhere near that limit. Most of his minutes are likely to come with the OKC Blue, where the assignment is even more straightforward: produce.
That means scoring in bunches at the G League level and doing it as a volume shooter from deep. He doesn’t need to be a full-time creator, but he does need to take a lot of catch-and-shoot looks and make that skill matter.
The jumper is what got him this chance in the first place. Now it has to be the thing that keeps him around.
In Other News...
Russell Westbrooks Retirement Just Sparked A Debate Thunder Fans Know Well
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Patrick Beverley added another layer to that discussion, pointing back to the long-running tension and overlap between the two guards. Their rivalry goes back to the 2013 playoffs, and they eventually became Lakers teammates, which only made Beverleys reaction more notable when he weighed in on Westbrooks exit from the game. For Oklahoma City, it is the kind of aftermath that comes with a player who meant so much for so long, especially when the questions around his legacy are still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Champion Ajay Mitchell Just Took On A Surprising New Role
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For a player still building his NBA career, the appointment is an unusual twist, but it also fits the modern way college programs are expanding their support systems and tapping into wider basketball networks. Thunder general manager Sam Presti had positive things to say about Mitchell stepping into the role, which only adds to the curiosity around how much influence he can bring from both the NBA and his own college connections. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Long Term Center Plan Suddenly Feels Far Less Settled
Oklahoma Citys long-term picture at center looked a lot clearer after the Thunder used their 2026 lottery pick on Aday Mara, a prospect whose appeal comes from his shot-blocking, feel for the game and ability to pass. He gives the front office another young big to develop alongside Isaiah Hartenstein and Thomas Sorber, while also adding a different look to a position the Thunder have been willing to keep flexible as they build around the rest of the roster.
Still, Mara is not the sort of pick that closes the book on the center spot. His conditioning questions and concerns about his interior scoring leave some room for the Thunder to keep evaluating the position, especially with another future lottery pick in hand. For a team that has tried to stay ahead of roster decisions rather than react to them, that means the path at center may be defined as much by what comes next as by the player they just took. [Read more 🡒]