OKC Thunder unveils which assistants will coach NBA Summer League team
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change.
Mark Daigneault on Saturday shared who will be coaching the Thunder in summer league.
Daniel Dixon will coach the Thunder in Salt Lake City Summer League (July 5-8) and Connor Johnson will coach the Thunder in Las Vegas Summer League (July 10-20).
Advertisement
Dixon, an assistant coach for player development, is entering his fourth season with the organization. He coached the Thunder's summer league team last year in Las Vegas. Dixon played college basketball at William & Mary.
Johnson is in his sixth season with the Thunder. Before that, he spent three years as the head coach of the 76ers' G League affiliate. Johnson began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Villanova.
Just about every Thunder assistant has served a stint as a summer league head coach.
'We want to invest in all the people in the organization with all the resources we have,' Mark Daigneault said Saturday after OKC rookies Thomas Sorber and Brooks Barnhizer were introduced. 'Summer League is a great opportunity to do that, draft workouts are a great opportunity to do that. These are the guys that are gonna be working with our players. I'm coaching the team, but they're the ones on the ground level with the guys.'
Advertisement
It's not yet known if Sorber, the Thunder's first-round pick out of Georgetown, will play in Summer League. He underwent season-ending foot surgery in February. Barnhizer also suffered a season-ending foot injury at Northwestern, but Barnhizer said Saturday that he will play in Summer League.
More: OKC Thunder injury update: Will Thomas Sorber, Brooks Barnhizer play in NBA Summer League?
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com . Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com .
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder unveils which assistants will coach NBA Summer League team
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Boston Celtics Find Their Next Point Guard In Blockbuster Trade Scenario With The Cleveland Cavaliers
Boston Celtics Find Their Next Point Guard In Blockbuster Trade Scenario With The Cleveland Cavaliers originally appeared on Fadeaway World. As the Boston Celtics look to reset their franchise, a number of their core players have been made available on the market this summer. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday have already found new teams, and the word on the street is that Derrick White could be next. As much as they might try to deny his availability, people are convinced that they'll send him packing for the right price. Advertisement While we don't know what the franchise has planned this summer, White's sudden availability is expected to draw major interest across the league, and there's one team in particular that could benefit from his skills: The Cleveland Cavaliers. In this hypothetical trade scenario, the Cavs could acquire White for a package centered around Darius Garland. Proposed Trade Details Boston Celtics Receive: Darius Garland Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh, 2032 second-round pick Celtics Go Young And Build For The Future Derrick White found his place on the Celtics during their championship run two seasons ago, when he averaged 15.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game on 44.2% shooting. This year, he was even better with averages of 16.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Advertisement During their glory days with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, White played a major role in the backcourt, and it was good enough to sign a 4-year, $118,048,000 contract in July of 2024. But after a disappointing season ended with Jayson Tatum tearing his Achilles, the situation has changed in Boston, and now it seems they are orchestrating a soft rebuild as their star takes time to recover. With White locked into his contract until 2029, the only way that he's getting out is via trade, and the Celtics believe they can get enough back in a deal to justify shopping him. At 30 years old, White isn't getting any younger, and by the time that the Celtics are whole again, he'll be almost 32. Cavaliers Add Veteran Point Guard To Increase Title Odds The Cleveland Cavaliers have a solid and star-studded core with Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. They impressed fans this season with a 64-win season, but they failed to follow it up with a successful playoff run. Instead, they got bounced in the second round, and they've vowed to make some changes in response. Advertisement As good as Darius Garland has been for them, he's only 25 years old and is still actively developing his game. Plus, with an inconsistent jumper, some experts feel he's become the weak link in Cleveland. By sending him and his lucrative contract to Boston, the Cavs can increase their depth at multiple positions. By replacing Garland with White, the Cavaliers become more well-rounded in the backcourt with a more seamless fit of playstyle. While White isn't the same playmaker or finisher as Garland, he's a more consistent shooter, a more versatile defender, and an overall smarter basketball player who does all the little things to help his team win. Risky Trade Could Have Massive Reward The Celtics and Cavaliers are in very different spots right now. One side is the Celtics, who are in the aftermath of having won a championship. As they move toward the next phase of their development, we will likely see more adjustments to the roster as they look to get younger and build up for the future. Advertisement Trading a trusted veteran like Derrick White (who helped them win a title last year) is not an easy thing to do, but the Celtics aren't going anywhere next season with Tatum down, and the best thing they could do now is find some young talent that might brighten their future. While some are pushing the Cavaliers to rebuild, they are still determined to make a run, and it's only natural for them to consider someone like Derrick White, who is still in his prime and someone who has proven to be a championship-level difference-maker. The Cavaliers end up with extra players and a pick to accommodate for White being so much older, but he's a much better fit for their win-now timeline than Boston, and his skills might be just what they need to have a breakthrough in the playoffs. Related: Celtics May Flip Anfernee Simons To Free Up Room For Two Key Stars This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Former LSU basketball star Naz Reid signs massive extension with Minnesota Timberwolves
A former LSU basketball star cashed in last week. According to ESPN, Timberwolves power forward and center Naz Reid is signing a five-year, $125 million extension. The deal won't officially be signed until July 6, but the sides have an agreement. The contract includes a player option for the 2029-30 season. Reid was one and done at LSU but was a member of the Tigers' Sweet 16 squad under head coach Will Wade in 2019. Reid just finished his sixth year in the NBA. In 406 career games, Reid averages 11.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. In 2024, Reid was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year. In 2024-25, Reid averaged a career-high 14.2 points and six rebounds per game. Reid provides much of his scoring value from behind the three-point line. He's averaged 2.1 three-point field goals per game since 2023. It's tough to defend a scorer with Reid's size who can shoot it from deep and threaten in the paint.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Boston Celtics jersey history No. 23 -Frank Ramsey (1953-64)
The Boston Celtics have had players suiting up in a total of 68 different jersey numbers (and have three others not part of any numerical series) since their founding at the dawn of the Basketball Association of America (BAA -- the league that would become today's NBA), worn by well over 500 players in the course of Celtics history. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Celtics Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. With 25 of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Celtics to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover. And for today's article, we will continue with the third of three people to wear the No. 23, Boston Hall of Fame wing Frank Ramsey. After ending his college career at Kentucky, Ramsey was picked up with the sixth overall selection of the 1953 NBA draft by the Celtics. The Corydon, Kentucky native played all nine seasons of his NBA career with Boston, winning seven titles over that stretch. During his time suiting up for the Celtics, Ramsey wore only jersey No. 23 and put up 13.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
