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OKC Thunder lands Dillon Jones via trade 26th in 2024 NBA Draft: Meet Weber State forward
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- OKC Thunder lands Dillon Jones via trade 26th in 2024 NBA Draft: Meet Weber State forward
The Oklahoma City Thunder is acquiring Dillon Jones via trade with the New York Knicks for the No. 26 pick of the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The 6-foot-6 forward, who played at Weber State, finished first in school history in steals, second in assists, third in rebounds and fifth in points. He was also the Big Sky Conference Player of the Year this season.
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Dillon Jones is coming off strong showing at Weber State
The 6-foot-6, 235-pound forward started 31 games for Weber State during the 2023-24 year and led the Cats to a 20-win season.
Jones was the first Division I player in over three decades to have 600 points, 300 rebounds, 160 assists and 60 steals in a single season. He was a top-five finalist for the Julius Erving Award, which is given to the top small forward in the country.
He was the only player in the NCAA to lead a conference in points, rebounds and assists. Jones was one of two players to average 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game this season.
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The forward scored in double digits in all 31 games he played in and tallied 10 or more rebounds in 18 games.
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May 14, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Dillon Jones (51) and Jamir Watkins (5) participate during the 2024 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Dillon Jones is versatile
Jones' usage rate and overall efficiency improved all four years he played at Weber State.
The 22-year-old from South Carolina has a 6-foot-11 wingspan and has strong off-the-ball instincts, recording two steals a game last season.
Beyond being the Big Sky Player of the Year, Jones finished top 10 in 13 different categories for Weber State.
He finished his career as the only player in Big Sky history with at least 1,500 career points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists, and 200 steals. Since the 1992-93 season, he is one of only four players in the nation to post those numbers in a career.
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Dillon Jones had gone through NBA Draft process before
Jones participated in both the league and the NBA Draft Combine in 2023.
However, he decided to return to Weber State for his fourth season and build up his draft prospects heading into 2024.
After having the best season of his collegiate career, where he led the Cats in four statistical categories, Jones was projected to be picked in the second round of the 2024 draft.
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Dillon Jones did not workout with the Thunder
Prior to the draft, Jones worked out with Boston , Charlotte , Denver , Golden State , Houston , Indiana , Miami , Milwaukee, Minnesota, Philadelphia , Portland , Sacramento , San Antonio , Toronto and Utah.
But he did not work out with Oklahoma City .
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Dillon Jones came as a surprise in NBA Draft
The Thunder selected Nikola Topic with the 12th pick — their one guaranteed selection of the draft.
However, after receiving Jones from the New York Knicks, who had also traded him from the Washington Wizards , the Thunder stepped in and took him at 26. OKC is reportedly sending five second-round picks to the Knicks for Jones spanning from 2025-27.
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Oklahoma City does not currently have another pick. The second round will take place at 3 p.m. on Thursday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
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—Gracie Rawlings, Staff writer
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder lands Dillon Jones at No. 26 in 2024 NBA Draft after trade
