Dillon Jones sends strong message to Thunder following breakout preseason performance

The OKC Thunder took part in their first back-to-back of the 2024-25 (pre)season.

Though the latter exhibition was rather unprecedented, as it came against the New Zealand Breakers of the NBL and was played out in Tulsa at the BOK Center, the experience was still quite valuable for the club's younger, less seasoned players, especially considering coach Mark Daigneault sat every regular season rotation player from last year for the occasion.

In turn, Oklahoma City ran out an unorthodox eight-man rotation that saw everyone registering a positive plus-minus rating and all but two players scoring in double figures en route to a commanding 117-89 win.

Leading the charge on the night was highly-touted rookie forward Dillon Jones, who stuffed the stat-sheet with an impressive 23 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks on 61.2 percent shooting from the floor and 66.7 percent shooting from deep.

Throughout training camp, the 22-year-old has made waves with his incredible versatility on the court and has even admitted that he's been in sets where he's slotted in anywhere from an on-ball point guard to a small-ball center.

Against the Breakers, he managed to show off his intangibles as head honcho of the hardwood.

Though such usage for a young natural wing could, in theory, prove to be rather daunting for some, Jones seems confident in his abilities to serve as a Swiss Army Knife-type of talent for the Thunder, as he noted following his breakout preseason performance on Thursday night that this kind of role is by no means "uncharted waters."

Dillon Jones is confident he can play Swiss Army Knife role for Thunder

"These are things that I've done in my whole career. I've been in games in college where I've played point guard, then someone checks in and I move to the five, then someone checks in and I move to the three. The Thunder brung that player in, you know. For me, it's just things that I've already done," Jones said.

As he alluded to, throughout his four-year tenure at Weber State, Jones showcased his enviable brand of versatility on a nightly basis.

Despite measuring in at just 6-foot-6, during his final season at the collegiate level the forward found himself leading the Wildcats in points (20.8), rebounds (9.8), assists (5.2), and steals (2.0). In his 35 minutes of action the other night, he looked like the same brand of baller that earned the 2023-24 Big Sky Player of the Year award for his efforts.

Now, as was also the case with his impressive debut showing against the San Antonio Spurs earlier in the week, there are still plenty of things Dillon Jones needs to work on as he makes his way toward and, ultimately, through his first season with the Thunder -- let's not pretend that six turnovers against New Zealand are something that can be easily glossed over.

However, as far as early returns are concerned, it appears OKC got a high-upside and wildly exciting, raw jack-of-all-trades talent in the back end of the first round of this past June's NBA Draft.