Following a magical year that saw them finish as the top seed in the West standings and fall just two wins shy of clinching their first Conference Finals berth since 2016, the OKC Thunder took this momentum and used it during what has ultimately proven to be a highly active offseason.
From tying up loose ends and strengthening weaknesses within their rotation to securing some of their promising young players to long-term deals, Sam Presti and company have been one of the busier front offices this summer as they look to set up Oklahoma City for a real shot at bringing home the ball club's first-ever Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Each new OKC Thunder player possesses one notable attribute
With their summer activities, the team has added several new faces to Mark Daigneault's rotation, all of whom possess qualities that, in one way or another, are expected to help them accomplish greater things on the hardwood as a collective.
Today, we look at each major offseason acquisition (i.e., those slated to be regular participants at the NBA level next year) and pinpoint the key attributes they possess that will prove to be beneficial to the Thunder during the upcoming 2024-25 season.
Dillon Jones
With the fact that their lone lottery pick, Nikola Topic is expected to be sidelined for the entirety of his official rookie season due to a partially torn ACL, Dillon Jones is currently the only player selected during the 2024 NBA Draft attached to a full-scale deal that's slated to play in the big leagues this year.
A Swiss Army Knife type of talent, there are many things to like about the 22-year-old's game.
From his defensive chops to his passing skills, Jones established himself as a legitimate star during his tenure at Weber State, and drew enough interest from Presti and co. to warrant them trading up to nab him late in the first round of June's festivities.
Key skill: Dribbling
Coming into year one in the NBA, the thing that's likely to impress fans and his team the most is his dribbling abilities.
One of the major knocks about Jones' game is his inconsistent jumper, as he converted on just 32.0 percent of his attempts from distance at Weber State and a mere 20.0 percent from this range during Summer League.
Of course, even with this well-documented weakness, the wing still found himself dropping as many as 20.8 points per game on 48.9 percent shooting overall from the floor during his fourth and final season at the collegiate level, and a major reason for this was due to his ability to create off the dribble.
Early spark💪 pic.twitter.com/nu7eiELQcO
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) July 15, 2024
This skill will allow him to attack smaller defenders (Jones measures in at 6-foot-6, 240 pounds), leading them to the interior where he'll either muscle his way through to a close-range bucket or draw a double-team which will then open up one of his teammates for a cleaner look at a scoring opportunity.