Sky-high enough in his potential to convince the Oklahoma City Thunder to both trade five picks and select him ahead of consensus, Dillon Jones, on November 1, 2024, cashed in on his first legitimate opportunity to repay that belief. Flawlessly within flow of Oklahoma City’s involve-everyone offense, Jones catapults his teammate into an opening, using a handoff-and-screen combination before popping backwards towards the 3-point arc. Having already planted the seeds required to disorient the Portland Trail Blazers’ defense, Jones takes advantage of a wide-open spot-up, burying a 3-pointer for his NBA career’s inaugural bucket. Standing at 6-foot-5, and with both plenty of on-court experience following a four-year collegiate run, and the athletic versatility to match, 2024’s No. 26 selection lived up to the hype in his first-ever game with double-digit minutes. Joining 11 other rotation players on the scoring column, Jones contributed seven points (on three-of-five shooting), four rebounds, two assists, and a 3-pointer. · Nov 2, 2024