3 Studs, 3 duds from the Thunders' depleting preseason loss to Houston Rockets in OT

In the second preseason game for the OKC Thunder, the ball club wound up heading into overtime against the Rockets.

During overtime, Oklahoma City would lose by a final score of 122-113 to Houston.

Even though it was a loss, the Thunder found themselves dominating for the majority of the game. This was in large part due to a barrage of 3-pointers early on, as they went 8-for-19 from long range in the first half.

OKC had a 13-point lead coming out of the half, but this was when coach Mark Daigneault sat the starters.

The rest of the way, the bench unit handled the game whereas the Rockets continued to play their primary weapons. Even though the Thunder did not win this contest, there were great performances all-around the court.

Of course, as to be expected in any loss, there were also some not-so-great performances as well. 

Here are three studs and three duds from Oklahoma City’s second preseason game. 

Thunder studs and duds from preseason loss to Rockets

Stud - Isaiah Hartenstein

Isaiah Hartenstein once again came off the bench, but that did not limit his impact. The big man's performance against Houston was very similar to his performance from the 112-107 win against the San Antonio Spurs earlier this week. 

Hartenstein finished with 6 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and a block in 21 minutes of action. 

There is nothing bad to say about the center's play from the contest. He was making plays defensively the entire night, forcing a missed dunk, showing he is not afraid to jump with the high flyers. His presence alone is going to help this Thunder team, especially when paired with Chet Holmgren.

The only downside to his performance would be his scoring, but the Thunder do not need Hartenstein to be a double-digit point-dropper. They need him to space the floor, grab boards, and help Chet in the interior.

In many ways, this was a perfect performance by Isaiah Hartenstein. 

Dud - Ousmane Dieng

This should not come as a surprise. Ousmane Dieng once again showed flashes of the player he can be, he just needs to now do that the entire, or even a majority of the game.

As a whole, his performance was very disappointing. 

Dieng does have a nice-looking jump shot, however, he lacks the confidence to consistently utilize it. After he missed his first 3-point attempt, the 21-year-old immediately gave up his next wide-open look and passed the ball away. The next shot Dieng hit was a contested triple with a few seconds still left on the shot clock. 

If Dieng could keep his confidence no matter how he is playing, that would elevate his game to another level. He had the opportunity to score in double-digits but only finished with 8 points since he continuously gave up open looks after one missed shot. 

The one part of his game that deserves praise from the night was his interior defense, though even then it was still only above average.

The Thunder might be growing antsy about Dieng’s improvement, which may cause them to eventually pull the plug on him if he continues these lackluster performances. 

Stud - Jalen Williams

Jalen Williams will be an All-Star this season for the Thunder. The junior forward has every part of his game crafted to where he can finish as a top 25 or even top 20 player this season.

He is that good!

At the start of training camp, coach Mark Daigneault made it clear he wants Jalen Williams to take more 3-pointers each game. During these early stages of the preseason, it appears that's exactly what he is doing.

Williams finished his one-half of play with 15 points while going 3-for-6 from long range. Last year, he was only taking three shots from deep each game, so these numbers already show that he is willing to double how many he takes. 

The 23-year-old has also made his presence known as one of the top slashers and drivers in the league. This season, it may be no different either.

Adding his 3-point shot into the mix can create gaps where defenders are caught on their heels, which leads to Williams having a clear path to the basket. 

What is certain for Jalen Williams is that he is solidifying himself as the true second option on this team during preseason play with his newly acquired 3-point shot.

Dud - Chet Holmgren’s shot

This one may come as a surprise, but Chet Holmgren was not shooting the ball well to start the night. The Thunder cannot afford these kinds of performances from the big man. 

Chet finished with 10 points while going 2-for-7 from the field. He also came away with 6 rebounds in this game. 

The majority of his shots were from mid-range or behind the 3-point line, though only one of his deep attempts ended up converting. Throughout the night, it appeared that anytime he shot it just seemed like he was holding back.

Maybe it's a new form he is trying out, or it could be the fact it was an off night. 

His lackluster shooting showed early on at the free-throw line as well, as he started the game going 1-for-4 from the charity stripe.

Fortunately, Holmgren did manage to salvage this aspect of his performance, as he finished with making five of his eight total attempts from the free throw line, but this still does not feel right for a center known for his shooting ability.

Stud - Aaron Wiggins

Aaron Wiggins is the player on this squad that can do everything. He is practically a Swiss Army Knife out on the court. 

To start the second half, the wing was about the only player that could get to the bucket and get something going for the Thunder. He was driving and finishing through contact, his jump shot looked nice, grabbed several boards, and, at times, seemed like the best defender on the court.

The only thing that could be improved from his performance was that we could have used this kind of Aaron Wiggins earlier in the game. Nevertheless, he was once again saving basketball when he was on the court. 

With more of these performances, Wiggins might find himself in contention for that last starting spot. 

Dud - Dillon Jones

After having a great first preseason game against the Spurs, Dillon Jones came back down to Earth in this matchup against Houston. In general, it was not a great night for the rookie out of Weber State. 

His poor showing really started to shine through when Jones picked up four fouls in the third quarter. This caused coach Daigneault to send him back to the bench, where he cooled down.

We did not get to see Jones again until the fourth quarter, but he eventually fouled out. 

While he was on the court, there seemed to be little for fans to write home about. His mid-range jumper looked good, but that was the only thing going his way. He would find ways to get inside to the paint, but could never finish any of his layups. 

There was speculation he could get a few minutes during the regular season, but more performances like this and we could see Ajay Mitchell snatch those minutes away over him. 

Dillon Jones has the tools though, and he should be fine with a tune up game coming up soon.