2 Do's, 2 don'ts for Thunder heading into preseason game vs. Rockets

Monday night, the OKC Thunder took care of business and bested the San Antonio Spurs in their preseason opener by a final score of 112-107. Now, they head back home for a bout against the Houston Rockets where a record of 2-0 is being sought after.

Of course, in order for them to rattle off their second straight win of the preseason festivities, coach Mark Daigneault must construct a proper game plan, as Oklahoma City's production in game one was solid but by no means stupendous.

This stage of the campaign is a time where teams can start to learn about what their do's and dont's should be as they approach the regular season and, heading into Wednesday's contest against the Rockets, there are several the Thunder should already be starting to become well aware of.

Do's and don'ts for Thunder vs. Rockets preseason game

Do continue to let Jalen Williams get into isolation sets

One of the biggest and most buzzed about concerns regarding the game of junior forward, Jalen Williams has been his inconsistencies as a self-generating offensive weapon.

Though he may have served as the clear number two scoring weapon behind MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander last season, averaging 19.1 points per game, only 110 of his 1,355 total points came from isolation play.

His shortcomings in this department proved to be a somewhat sizable factor in the club's postseason demise against the Dallas Mavericks last year, as only 38.5 percent of his field goals during their semifinal appearance came unassisted.

While many may see Williams as a sure-fire bet to be thrust into stardom in year three, should he prove incapable of becoming an effective offensive initiator it could, in theory, halt his trajectory.

Fortunately, this offseason it was revealed that the coaching staff has been looking to get the 23-year-old more involved in this area of their scheme, and, against the Spurs, he served as a focal point of the offense during his two-quarters of play.

Hopefully, they'll continue to use him in such a fashion against the Rockets in an effort to hone his skills as an offensive creator.

Don't force Ousmane Dieng into the equation

With the recent injury to Jaylin Williams that's slated to keep him sidelined through the entirety of the preseason and even during the early stages of the regular season, many were under the assumption that third-year forward Ousmane Dieng could be in line for increased opportunity heading into 2024-25.

Even with this projection, however, in game one of the preseason, Thunder fans were surprised by his presence within the starting lineup at the four, squeezed right in between J-Dub at the three and Chet Holmgren at the five.

Sadly, his placement within the rotation is where the shocks ended on the night for the former lottery pick, as his on-court play proved to be just as raw as it has been throughout his tenure thus far with the Thunder.

Logging 25 minutes against the Spurs, Dieng struggled to serve as a real difference-maker as he finished with a woefully underwhelming stat line of 2 points and 6 rebounds on a putrid 16.7 points.

Of course, he did showcase some of his high-potential defensive instincts during the contest by swatting two shots (one of which was an impressive from-behind block after his assignment initially breezed past him on a drive), though seemingly nullified these positives with 2 personal fouls and 3 turnovers.

There's no doubt that Ousmane Dieng should still be in line for increased action during the remainder of the preseason, but coach Daigneault has to pump the breaks on making head-scratching decisions to force him into lineups such as the starting five, especially when someone like Isaiah Hartenstein (who notably came off the bench) could build meaningful chemistry with Chet if used in the first unit instead.

Do try to use Dillon Jones, Isaiah Hartenstein more in the passing game

Though many have pointed to the traditionally obvious choice in recently promoted backup one guard Cason Wallace, there's a strong case to be made that someone like rookie Dillon Jones or even newly signed center Isaiah Hartenstein could be better equipped to take on such a role instead.

The former came into this past June's NBA Draft being lauded for his stand-out passing skills for someone of his position, as he wrapped up his final season at Weber State averaging 5.2 assists per night.

These skills managed to shine through at times during his preseason debut against the Spurs, especially late in the game where he dropped two flat-out dimes on bounce passes to cutting teammates.

More impressive, he made other similar passes throughout his nearly 26 minutes of action, but these were the only ones that were converted into points.

As for I-Hart, he's already proven himself to be a tremendous distributor throughout his professional tenure. He's averaged 5.0 or more assists per 100 possessions twice over the last three seasons and, in 2023-24, registered an assist-to-turnover ratio of 26.6, which, for context, was a better mark than guys like Luka Doncic (23.9), Damian Lillard (23.2), and Cade Cunningham (23.8).

Against the Rockets, the Thunder should absolutely look to get these two players more action in the playmaking department.

Don't start out sluggish in front of the home crowd

Though the Thunder did managed to pull out a win against the Spurs on Monday, early on in the contest this team was seen playing rather sloppy basketball.

Sure, it's only preseason and Oklahoma City was without their superstar focal point in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but the fact that the favorites to win the Western Conference with rising stars like Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren fully active turned the ball over three times, committed two personals and didn't score a single point through roughly the first three minutes of action isn't something fans are looking to see.

Especially not those in attendance. On Wednesday, the bulk of present onlookers will be bleeding the blue, orange, and yellow as they'll be playing host to the Rockets out at Paycom Center.

It's been nearly five months since the franchise's faithful followers have gotten to see their beloved Thunder lace them up on the hardwood -- they deserve a show right from the jump.

Frankly, a team projected to be as good as the Thunder are should easily be able to accomplish such a task.