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Mussatto: OKC Thunder draftees Dillon Jones, Ajay Mitchell were rare mid-major loyalists
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- Mussatto: OKC Thunder draftees Dillon Jones, Ajay Mitchell were rare mid-major loyalists
Thunder draftees Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell are throwbacks.
Jones, the 26th pick, spent four years at Weber State. Mitchell, the 38th pick, played three seasons at UC Santa Barbara. It's notable not that Jones and Mitchell were multi-year college players, but multi-year, mid-major stars who rejected the temptations of the transfer portal.
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Does their small-school loyalty make Jones and Mitchell better bets to succeed in the NBA? In a small market like Oklahoma City? Probably not, but it's a glimpse into their makeup.
The Thunder's recent draft picks have taken diverse routes. Cason Wallace , the Thunder's first-round pick last year, went one-and-done at Kentucky — basically the inverse route of Jones and Mitchell. Chet Holmgren played one season at Gonzaga, a mid-major by technicality but not in practice. Keyontae Johnson transferred from Florida to Kansas State. Then you have the international guys like Ousmane Dieng and No. 12 pick Nikola Topic . And players who spent multiple years at a high-major program, like Aaron Wiggins at Maryland, or multiple years at a mid-major, like Jalen Williams at Santa Clara.
Jones and Mitchell fall into the Jalen Williams bucket. It doesn't mean that one of the two is going to be the Rookie of the Year runner-up like J-Dub was, it only means that they're distinct. Not quite extinct, but an endangered species in college basketball.
"I don't think there's one way to do it," Thunder general manager Sam Presti said . "But certainly with these two guys, they've been very focused. I think they've been very diligent. They have made steady progress at each place. I don't know if that progress would have been as steady if they were bouncing around all the time."
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Jones and Mitchell, alongside Topic, were introduced as Thunder players Saturday afternoon at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center.
Soon we'll see what Jones and Mitchell look like on the court, but the way they went about their college careers gives us at least a smidge of insight into their motivations.
More: OKC Thunder in NBA free agency: Cap space priorities, trade targets and names to watch
From left: Thunder draft picks Ajay Mitchell, Dillon Jones and Nikola Topic stand with Thunder general manager Sam Presti during an introductory press conference Saturday at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center.
Ajay Mitchell: From Belgium to Santa Barbara
Ajay Mitchell grew up in Liege, Belgium, where his dad, Barry Mitchell, played professionally after starring at Norfolk State. In Belgium, Barry met Ajay's mom, Fabienne Wagemans.
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Ajay, who played for the Belgian national team, holds dual citizenship.
Wanting to move stateside and play college basketball like his dad, Ajay got the chance at UC Santa Barbara.
In 2021-22, Mitchell was named Big West Freshman of the Year. As a sophomore, he won Big West Player of the Year. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged a career-high 20 points per game as a senior while also averaging four rebounds and four assists per game.
Mitchell ranks fifth on UCSB's all-time assists list and he's in the top-10 in scoring.
Asked why he stayed: "Loyalty," Mitchell said. "Santa Barbara was the first school to believe in me."
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He'll join Lakers guard Gabe Vincent as the only other active UCSB player in the NBA. Mitchell is the first Gaucho to be drafted since Orlando Johnson went 36th overall in 2012.
Mitchell is expected to sign a two-way contract with Oklahoma City, splitting his time between the Thunder and G League Blue.
More: Who are biggest names OKC Thunder has signed in NBA free agency? The list is bleak
Dillon Jones: A Weber State great
Dillon Jones tested the NBA draft waters last summer before returning to Weber State, a Big Sky school in Ogden, Utah.
By coming back for a fourth year, Jones set all sorts of Weber State records, and more importantly, positioned himself to be a first-round draft pick.
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OKC didn't have another first-round selection after taking Topic at No. 12, but it bought the 26th pick from the Knicks in exchange for five second-round picks.
It was quite the show of conviction for a player who lacked Division-I scholarship offers coming out of Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kansas.
"I really didn't know where I was going, honestly," said Jones, who's originally from Columbia, South Carolina. "Then Weber had just had a bad year and they hit me up. I started doing research about them. Everyone knows Dame, obviously…"
Damian Lillard, the most famous Weber State Wildcat of them all.
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Jones also researched Joel Bolomboy, a former Weber State forward who had a cup of coffee in the NBA.
"When I saw that, all I wanted to do is be a professional when I went to college," Jones said. "I just thought that would be a good route for me to take."
The 6-foot-6, 235-pound guard/forward/rush linebacker left Weber State as a top-10 player in school history in 13 categories — including as the all-time leader in steals.
More: OKC Thunder shows off NBA draftees Nikola Topic, Dillon Jones, Ajay Mitchell | 3 takeaways
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault talks with Nikola Topic, the 12th overall pick in the NBA Draft, on Saturday.
Jones ranks second in Weber State history in assists, third in rebounds and fifth in scoring.
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He was a three-time All Big Sky selection and the Big Sky Player of the Year last season.
Why stay at Weber State? Dozens of coaches at big-time programs were probably wondering just that.
When Jones tested the NBA draft last summer, he asked every team the same question.
"Do you all care what schools people go to?"
The consensus response from teams: "If you're here, you're supposed to be here."
That settled it for Jones.
Back to Weber State it was.
"I didn't move off my square," Jones said. "It could have been very easy for me to do things differently when the opportunities presented themselves, but when I chose to go to college, I wanted to be in a good situation, good school, focus on player development, and if I did that, I would be right where I want to be."
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Jones didn't have any name, image, likeness (NIL) deals at Weber State, but now he has an NBA contract.
"It was a risky decision if we're being completely honest," he said. "But it was the best thing for me."
More: OKC Thunder rookie Nikola Topic is 'ready' for challenge of recovering from ACL injury
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: Thunder draftees Dillon Jones, Ajay Mitchell were mid-major loyalists
