OKC Thunder unveil Las Vegas Summer League schedule with international flare

The 2019 Las Vegas Summer League schedule is now available, including the OKC Thunder portion. This year, the club will battle Croatia for the first time ever.

For many years, the OKC Thunder did not participate in the Las Vegas Summer League, instead opting for the less flashy; Orlando Summer League. Beginning in 2018, the NBA discontinued the Orlando Summer League. Thus all 30 teams began competing in Las Vegas. The NBA also conducts scaled down versions of Summer League in Sacramento and Utah.

New to Summer League this year will be the addition of two national teams, in China and Croatia. According to ESPN, this will be the second time China competes in Summer League, with the first instance occurring in 2007, whereas; 2019 will mark the first time Croatia will participate in the Summer League.

Thunder Schedule

Full Schedule

Who will Play for Oklahoma City this Summer?

The official Summer League roster will not be unveiled until closer to the start date. Via Erik Horne of the Oklahoman; during his post-draft presser Sam Presti stated Terrance Ferguson will not play this summer, due to his starter status.

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This decision is a bit questionable, yes T-Ferg did make strides last season, but he remained inconsistent. Ferguson could only benefit from added organized basketball, to further that, it’s not entirely uncommon to witness third-year players have one final Summer League run.

Barring his elbow holding him out, expect reigning dunk champion Hamidou Diallo to be on the roster. So long as he is still a member the franchise Deonte Burton will likely make the cut as well. Other names that could pop-up on the roster are 2018 second-rounders Devon Hall and Kevin Hervey.

It’s up in the air if first-rounder Darius Bazley will be on the roster due to the fact the earliest the trade can go through is July 6, the day the Thunder commence their summer schedule.

The Value of Summer League

The summer league grows each subsequent season. The competition and talent level is similar to the G-League, it gives fan’s an early peek at their rookies, drafted only a few weeks prior.

It’s important to remember the summer league should be viewed as more of an extended look at players, rather than a measuring stick. Positive performances are always a welcomed sight. Any club would prefer to see their players perform well, as opposed to insufficiently.