The Oklahoma City Thunder haven’t exactly lit up Salt Lake City or the 2K26 NBA Summer League. The results have been rough, the losses have been lopsided, and the two names that were supposed to bring the most buzz - Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz - haven’t delivered many eye-catching moments through four games.
That said, summer league is a strange stage. The games are messy, the rotations are fluid, and most of these players are still figuring out new teammates, new roles and new systems on the fly. So while the Thunder’s early run has been underwhelming, it’s not the kind of sample that should send anyone into panic mode.
What summer league does provide, though, is a runway for players trying to leave a mark on the coaching staff. That was the lane for Otega Oweh and Josh Dix, both of whom already have two-way contracts lined up with Oklahoma City for 2026-27. Now, with Oweh likely done for the rest of summer league after suffering an ankle injury against the Atlanta Hawks, the spotlight shifts squarely to Dix.
And Dix has a real opening here. Over the Thunder’s final three summer league games, he has a chance to show that his shooting can translate into something more than a nice skill on paper.
The Thunder don’t figure to have a ton of minutes available for either of their two-way players once the regular season arrives. Even with Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe gone, the roster is still deep enough that those opportunities are going to be hard to come by. But both Oweh and Dix fit what Oklahoma City wants to do.
Oweh brings the kind of defensive tools that jump off the page. He’s a relentless on-ball defender with the wingspan and lateral quickness to fit into the Thunder’s switch-heavy approach.
He can also get downhill and pressure the rim. The big question with him is the 3-point shot.
If that comes around, there’s a path for him to become a real NBA wing.
Dix is built differently. He’s the shooter in the group, the kind of catch-and-shoot threat from deep who can punish a defense if he gets clean looks.
The tradeoff is on the other end, where his strength and lateral movement leave him exposed. Of the two, Oweh had the cleaner route to minutes as a rookie.
But Oweh’s ankle injury changes the picture for now, and that leaves Dix with a chance to make his case. So far, he hasn’t fully taken it. His 16 points, four rebounds and two assists against the Utah Jazz stood out, but he still needs to be more assertive about attacking the defense and finishing inside if he wants to turn this stretch into something meaningful.
In Other News...
Thunder Summer League Drought Grew After Another Brutal Late Twist
The Thunders Las Vegas Summer League trip took another frustrating turn in a 106-103 loss to the Nuggets, a game that followed a familiar script of Oklahoma City hanging around long enough to make the finish matter. Payton Sandfort gave the Thunder a lift with 19 points, and Aday Mara added a productive all-around night with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Buddy Boeheim chipped in 10 as OKC kept finding ways to stay within reach.
Sandfort did much of his damage late, scoring nine in the fourth quarter as the Thunder pushed for one last swing at the outcome. Bennett Stirtz also helped fuel the late push with active play, but the comeback came down to the final possession and left Oklahoma City still searching for a clean finish in Las Vegas. [Read more 🡒]
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Came Up Short For Another Major Honor
Shai Gilgeous-Alexanders season was strong enough to keep him in the mix for another major piece of hardware, but the latest honor went elsewhere. The Thunder star was a nominee for the 2026 ESPY NBA Player of the Year award, a field that also included Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama, underscoring just how crowded the race was among the leagues elite.
Jalen Brunson ended up taking the award after steering the Knicks to the 2026 NBA championship and earning Finals MVP honors along the way. For Gilgeous-Alexander, it was another reminder that even a standout regular season can be overshadowed when the conversation shifts to the biggest stages and the biggest moments. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Core Hit With An Insulting Drop Fans Wont Ignore
Bleacher Reports latest look at the NBAs best star trios gave Oklahoma City a familiar compliment, but not the top spot it held a year ago. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren were slotted third behind the Spurs and Knicks, a notable drop for a group that just helped power the Thunder to a championship and has already built a reputation as one of the leagues most efficient cores when everyone is available.
The bigger point for Thunder fans is that the ranking still treats the trio like an elite standard-bearer, even after injuries complicated the follow-up to that title run. Oklahoma Citys recent deep playoff pushes have been shaped as much by health as by talent, and the numbers cited in the piece suggest the ceiling remains as high as ever once the group gets back to full strength. [Read more 🡒]