The Oklahoma City Thunder still haven’t found a Summer League win in 2026, but one undrafted rookie big man has given them something to watch anyway.
OKC left Salt Lake City without a victory, then opened Las Vegas by dropping its first two games, including a 104-79 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, July 12. Even so, the Thunder have had a few players flash along the way. Aday Mara answered a rough Las Vegas debut with a stronger showing against Golden State, and Bennett Stirtz has been productive in every game so far.
Christoph Tilly has joined that group of bright spots. The undrafted free agent spent his senior season at Ohio State after three years at Santa Clara, and he has made a noticeable impression in summer play. Against the Warriors, Tilly posted 6 points, a rebound, 2 steals and zero turnovers in 12 minutes, going 3-of-5 from the field and 0-of-1 at the line.
His Las Vegas debut was even louder. Tilly put up 10 points, 7 rebounds and an assist while shooting 5-of-7 from the floor in 15 minutes. Through his first five Summer League games, he’s averaging 6.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and a steal per game while shooting 51.7% from the field.
At Ohio State, Tilly’s senior-year numbers were 11 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, with shooting splits of 47.9% from the field and 23.2% from 3-point range.
A real NBA role still looks unlikely on a Thunder roster that has earned the No. 1 seed in three straight seasons, but Tilly could be headed down a path similar to Branden Carlson’s. Carlson signed with OKC as an undrafted free agent in the 2024 class, spent two seasons on a two-way deal and then earned a standard contract in Portland during the 2026 offseason.
The difference is that Oklahoma City’s frontcourt is deeper now than it was during Carlson’s time with the team, which could make it tougher for Tilly to pick up the same kind of NBA minutes. Even so, his summer performance may be enough to land him a place in the organization with the OKC Blue.
That’s not a bad landing spot for an undrafted rookie. Oklahoma City’s G League affiliate has already served as the launch point for several undrafted players who eventually carved out important roles for the franchise. And if Tilly doesn’t become a Thunder contributor, he still looks like one of the more interesting rookies to follow in the G League.
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