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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Thunder exits NBA Summer League with 'a lot of positives' after semifinal loss vs Hornets
Everyone's luck eventually runs out in Las Vegas. The OKC Thunder was looking to become the first franchise to ever win an NBA championship and then win the following Las Vegas Summer League title. But the Charlotte Hornets had other plans. OKC suffered a 109-80 loss to Charlotte in the semifinals. The Thunder, which was without Ajay Mitchell and Nikola Topić, trailed for all but 54 seconds. That marked the end of OKC's time in Las Vegas, but it can count its chips with pride. The Thunder received strong showings from players such as Mitchell and Topić, who'll compete for minutes next season, and they potentially hit the jackpot with other players such as Brooks Barnhizer and Chris Youngblood. "I thought the guys made a lot of progress throughout the time (in Las Vegas), and that's promising," OKC Summer League head coach Connor Johnson said. "There are a lot of positives to take away." OKC will now shift its focus to the 2025-26 preseason, which begins on Oct. 5 with a game against none other than Charlotte in Charleston, South Carolina. Here are four more takeaways from the game: Pre-order our new book on the Thunder's road to NBA Finals More: NBA Summer League 2025: OKC Thunder roster, schedule and everything else to know Branden Carlson showed flashes of shot creation M.J. Walker's stance, despite being open, was far from inviting. When Branden Carlson searched for a way around the Charlotte guard on the perimeter, he was met with an elbow to the rib cage. It was a clear sign to back up. So, he did. Carlson separated himself from Walker with a stepback 3-pointer, which found the bottom of the net. That marked the second straight off-the-dribble bucket for the 7-foot center midway through the first quarter. On a day when OKC was without its go-to playmakers, Mitchell and Topić, Carlson showed an ability to create for himself. The 26-year-old big man recorded 12 points and seven rebounds on 5-for-10 shooting from the field (1 for 3 from deep). Carlson impressed this summer after missing OKC's first five games due to a sprained ankle. He averaged 11.7 points, six rebounds and 2.3 assists throughout three contests on 56.7% shooting from the field (50% from deep). Carlson is set to rejoin OKC next season. He recently signed a new two-way contract. More: Ajay Mitchell, Nikola Topić injury update: OKC guards won't play in Summer League playoffs Charlotte dared Brooks Barnhizer to shoot from deep As Youngblood waited to inbound the ball late in the second quarter, Barnhizer slowly crept out to the 3-point line. Barnhizer wasn't followed by a defender, but that was by design. The Hornets, who'd swarmed the Thunder all game on defense, deemed other threats to be a bigger priority. Barnhizer gathered a pass at the top of the arc, and he had plenty of space to let it fly. The ball clanked off the left side of the rim. Barnhizer shined this summer as a strong defender, an aggressive rebounder and a good finisher who can absorb contract. But his 3-point shooting remains a work in progress, which is why Charlotte dared him to shoot throughout the game. Barnhizer finished with 10 points and three rebounds. He went 3 for 12 from the field (1 for 6 from deep). After being selected by OKC in the second round (44th overall) of the 2025 draft, Barnhizer played in all eight of his team's Summer League games. He averaged 10.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.6 steals on 47.7% shooting from the field (25% from deep). More: Thunder rookie Brooks Barnhizer 'grateful' to play for ex-teammate in NBA Summer League Chris Youngblood completed his compelling Summer League run Thomas & Mack Center was silent. Its seats, which were filled at the start of Summer League, were now mostly empty. Some fans had gone back home. Others had better plans for a Saturday night in Las Vegas than to watch a blowout game. But even with the air taken out of the venue, OKC received a brief spark midway through the third quarter. It came from its top flamethrower, Youngblood, who drilled a pair of 3-pointers on consecutive possessions. That wasn't enough to turn things around for OKC, which was still eliminated from the playoffs. But it was the final set of fireworks from Youngblood, who delivered a dazzling display of 3-point shooting this summer. After not getting selected in the 2025 draft, Youngblood made the most of his opportunity in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. He averaged 11 points throughout eight games on 46.5% shooting from deep. Youngblood has made a compelling case to earn OKC's third and final two-way contract. The other two spots have gone to Carlson and Barnhizer. More: OKC Thunder signing Ajay Mitchell to three-year contract worth nearly $9M, per report Erik Reynolds II made his minutes count down the stretch The second half of Saturday's blowout game might not have meant much to most people, but it meant something to Erik Reynolds II. OKC's backup guard scored all 16 of his points in the final two quarters. He went 5 for 12 from the field (5 for 11 from deep). After spending all four seasons of his college career at Saint Joseph's, Reynolds didn't get selected in the 2025 draft. He then joined OKC for Summer League but struggled to see the floor. Reynolds entered Saturday's contest with an average of 6.8 minutes played through six games, and he didn't play in another game. But he logged 21 minutes against Charlotte and used that valuable time to showcase his sharpshooting skills. It's hard to imagine Reynolds earning OKC's final two-way contract over a player such as Youngblood, who caught fire from deep throughout the entire Summer League run. But it might be worth the Thunder taking a closer look at him on its G League affiliate, the OKC Blue. More: OKC Thunder signs 2025 NBA Draft picks Thomas Sorber, Brooks Barnhizer Justin Martinez covers sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@ or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder run in NBA Summer League ends in semifinals vs Hornets
USA Today
04-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
OKC Thunder releases 2025 Summer League roster
The Oklahoma City Thunder have announced their 2025 Summer League roster. Like usual, they will participate in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas for at least eight games during the two-week extravaganza. The Utah Summer League will take place from July 5-8. The traditional Las Vegas portion will take place from July 10-20. The Thunder's full schedule can be viewed here. Thunder assistants Daniel Dixon and Connor Johnson will split the head coach duties. Dixon will coach in Utah and Johnson will coach in Las Vegas. Nikola Topic headlines the Summer League roster. The 2024 No. 12 pick will suit up for the first time after he sat out his first year recovering from a partially torn ACL. The 19-year-old is viewed as a high-end playmaking prospect. Ajay Mitchell is also another big name on the roster. While Thomas Sorber is on the roster, he won't participate. He continues to recover from foot surgery that cut his sole season at Georgetown short. Brooks Barnhizer was listed and should play. Last year's two-way players Branden Carlson and Alex Ducas will also play. The Thunder's 2025 Summer League roster can be read below: Fresh off an NBA championship, Thunder fans continue to enjoy being spoiled. Usually, the champion has little to look forward to in Summer League. But because of how stacked their draft capital is, the Thunder have a few interesting names to watch for.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
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@ . Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at . This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder unveils which assistants will coach NBA Summer League team
