Thunder sign P.J. Dozier to second and final two-way contract

The OKC Thunder filled up the two-way portion of their roster, signing 20-year old P.J. Dozier to an undisclosed deal.

After being reported that the Oklahoma City Thunder and P.J. Dozier were working on a deal last night, the two sides officially reached an agreement today.

Dozier went undrafted in the 2017 Draft. He played with the champion Los Angeles Lakers at the Las Vegas Summer League, but only got three minutes because of an ankle injury. He then participated in Dallas Mavericks training camp; his highlight was a 14 point, 2 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block performance against Atlanta.

The 20-year old rose up draft boards after an impressive NCAA Tournament where he, along with Sindarius Thornwell, helped lead the 7th-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks to the Final Four. Dozier is versatile yet raw, hence why the 6’6 guard was projected anywhere from a first round pick to undrafted.

My co-editor Tamberlyn Richardson discussed Dozier as a potential OKC Thunder prospect in Thunderous Intentions’ draft prospect series. At the time she rightfully viewed him as a player Oklahoma City would have to lock into a guaranteed NBA contract in order to retain. Since he’s on a two-way contract however, I’m sure she sees it as a good move like I do.

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

Dozier has all the tools to be a successful NBA wing: he’s long, can play multiple positions and already possesses a strong handle of the game. Dozier isn’t a true point guard but he can distribute from the two a la Shaun Livingston. It’s no wonder The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor (my personal favorite mini-Zach Lowe) named Livingston as his best-case scenario.

The beauty – and this really is a good thing – is Dozier’s biggest fault is his jump shot. Dozier shot 27.7% from three and 57.9% from the line in his two-year college year. It is important to note he increased his percentages by 8.5% and 5.3% respectively on increased attempts. If Dozier can work out the kinks and become competent he’ll likely find a place in the league.

P.J. Dozier and Daniel Hamilton are the players you want to see getting these two-way contracts. Both have extreme upsides; having the opportunity to spend 45 days with the pro team and the rest with the OKC Blue’s fantastic developmental team is the perfect situation for their needs.

The best part? Dozier and Hamilton are eerily similar prospects – they now have direct competition for a future in Oklahoma City.

Actually there’s something even better. The signing of P.J. Dozier means there’s a new #35 in town.