The Oklahoma City Thunder are still searching for their first Summer League win, and the path to it is pretty clear: they need better shooting, more work on the glass, and a few more players to deliver at the same time.
After three games in Salt Lake City, OKC is sitting at 0-3. The young roster has had its moments, but it hasn’t been able to string together enough across the board to finish a game with a victory. That leaves the Thunder heading to Las Vegas with some obvious fixes to make if they want to get in the win column.
The biggest issue has been efficiency. Through those first three games, the Thunder have shot just 37% from the field, a number that makes life tough no matter how well a team competes elsewhere.
The perimeter numbers haven’t helped much either. OKC has topped 30% from three only once, and its high-water mark for made triples in a game is nine.
There’s also the rebounding problem, and it’s one that followed the Thunder into Summer League. OKC has lost the offensive rebounding battle in all three games, and it has already cost them.
In the second game against the Hawks, the Thunder were beaten on the offensive glass 14-9 in a five-point loss. That kind of margin can swing a close game in a hurry.
Individual scoring bursts have shown up. Payton Sandfort put up 25 points against Atlanta, and Josh Dix added 16 against the Jazz.
But those performances have been isolated, and that’s not enough on its own. The Thunder need more than one or two players popping off; they need several of them to hit together.
That’s where the attention turns to Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz, Otega Oweh and Brooks Barnhizer. The first three are the Thunder’s draft picks, while Barnhizer is the veteran in the group. If those four can all put together strong outings, Oklahoma City will give itself a much better chance to finally break through.
In Other News...
Thunder Fans Have Every Reason To Worry About Ajay Mitchell Again
Ajay Mitchells summer has already been defined by the same issue that has followed him through much of his young Thunder career: availability. The point guard is coming off a right calf strain sustained in the Conference Finals, and even with the offseason giving him time to recover, his injury history keeps the conversation from being simple. Over his first two seasons, Mitchell has been on the floor for just 57.4 percent of Oklahoma Citys games, which is enough to make any promising role player feel a little less stable in the long view.
For the Thunder, the concern is not just about whether Mitchell can help when healthy, but whether they can count on that health holding up over time. Oklahoma City has built its roster with an eye toward flexibility and continuity, and Mitchells situation adds another layer to the front offices thinking as future payday decisions come into view. The talent is still there, but so is the question that tends to linger with players who keep missing stretches: how much risk is too much for a team trying to stay ahead of its own timeline? [Read more 🡒]
Bennett Stirtz Just Changed The Thunder Summer League Conversation
Bennett Stirtz gave the Thunder something to think about in Summer League, even in a 96-84 loss to the Lakers. Used as the primary ball-handler, he looked more comfortable running the offense and showed a sharper scoring edge, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting while also adding two assists, a steal and a block.
The bigger takeaway for Oklahoma City was the way Stirtz handled the moment after an uneven stretch in Utah. He said he needs to trust his shot more, especially when catch-and-shoot threes come his way, and that kind of confidence can matter as much as the box score in a setting where every possession is part of the audition. [Read more 🡒]
Ajay Mitchell Is Suddenly In A Serious Thunder All-Star Debate
Ajay Mitchell has gone from promising depth piece to one of the more intriguing names on the Thunder roster heading into his third NBA season. After a solid rookie year, he took a real step forward last season, averaging 13.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 57 games while finishing fifth in Sixth Man of the Year voting. He also looked comfortable on a bigger stage in the playoffs, which only added to the sense that Oklahoma City may have something more than a standard rotation guard on its hands.
The question now is how much runway he gets to keep building that case. Mitchells value has been obvious when the Thunder have leaned on him, and his best stretches have come when he has been asked to do more than simply fit in around the edges. If the opportunity expands again, the conversation around him could shift quickly from breakout reserve to something far more ambitious, which is why his next step feels like one of the more interesting subplots on a roster already full of them. [Read more 🡒]