Dillon Jones records first triple-double in brief Thunder G League stint
11/23/2024 10:46 AM
After Adam Flagler drained seven threes en route to 31 points for Oklahoma City Blue in the first leg of a back-to-back, Thunder rookie Dillon Jones notched a triple-double (12 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds) in his G League debut. The 26th overall pick, alongside forward Ousmane Dieng, was assigned to join the Blue Friday afternoon. Jones helped secure a 104-97 win against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
After limiting their opponent to ten third-quarter points, Jones and Flagler, who scored a team-high 26 points, led the Blue down the stretch. Blue head coach Kameron Woods, who was so intuned with Jones impacting both ends of the floor, didn’t realize Dillon’s impressive feat until the game ended.
“I didn’t even notice it,” Woods said. “But I think it just speaks to his impact. We know he can do that. When he’s out there, he just sees the game. He sees it a step ahead. I thought he made some really good passes that didn’t end up as assists. But, he’s a willing mover of the basketball, and for our group, that’s great.”
Flagler connected on five threes in the win. He also finished with four assists and three steals. Branden Carlson recorded a double-double (16 points, 13 rebounds), and Dieng added two points and three rebounds in seven minutes before he suffered a hand injury that ended his night early. Woods couldn’t provide an update on Dieng’s status.
Kameron Woods wowed by Dillon Jones’ impact
Amid a five-day rest, head coach Mark Daigneault addressed the Thunder’s free-throw shooting disparity ahead of his first-round rookie forward Dillon Jones’ triple-double performance. After Friday’s win, Blue coach Kameron Woods praised Jones for adapting to his environment immediately.
He also believes the G League experience will help Jones develop as a rookie in 2024-25.
“It’s been fun. He’s a great guy to coach. I think I’ve said it before; he wants all the answers to the test,” Woods said. “He competes at a really high level. He’s really smart. So, you can plug him around any group. He’s played now with the summer league team that looks a little different. He’s played with the Thunder that looks different, and now he’s played with the Blue. I think the biggest compliment to him is you can plug him in on any team in any role, and he’ll find a way to impact the game — which is nice.”
After Friday’s win, Jones, Dieng, and Carlson were recalled back up to the Thunder.
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