Camping at the top of the key, Ousmane Dieng splashed a catch-and-shoot 3 to highlight a robust third quarter.
The second-year forward headlined the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 105-89 blowout loss to the Washington Wizards on Friday. He finished with a 17-5-5 line. The Thunder played shorthanded as they sat out Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams in the penultimate summer league contest.
“I thought it’s a good lesson for us that you can layer on as much as you want to layer but it always comes down to the foundation,” Thunder summer league coach Kam Woods said on what they could learn from their loss. “If the foundation is not good, none of the other stuff really matters.”
After an impressive win over the Indiana Pacers, the Thunder elected to sit out two of their best summer league participants. Their absence allowed Dieng and others to vacuum up extra possessions. Despite a slow start this game, the 2022 lottery pick strengthened his strong summer league campaign with another solid outing.
Two-way candidate Jared Butler was also another standout for the Thunder. He scored a game-high 22 points on efficient 8-of-14 shooting.
“I just tried to take what the defense was giving me and make simple decisions,” Butler said on his performance.
As a collective though, the Thunder struggled to generate quality offense. OKC shot 33-of-80 (41.2%) from the field but went 14-of-36 (38.9%) from 3. The offensive woes happened within the perimeter, as OKC went just 19-of-44 (43.1%) on 2-pointers without Holmgren and Williams.
The Thunder couldn’t keep up with the Wizards — both on the scoreboard and on the court. An 18-2 fastbreak advantage for the Wizards helped them quickly build a lead as large as 17 points. Washington rapidly created a 28-20 lead following the first quarter. A 27-19 fourth-quarter scoring advantage helped the Wizards seal the result.
Overall, Washington’s offense scored in flurries. The Wizards shot an efficient 36-of-67 (53.7%) from the field and went a sizzling 12-of-21 (57.1%) from 3. The Wizards took 13 fewer shots than the Thunder, but a 21-of-27 (77.8%) day from the free-throw line marginalized the shot-quantity difference.
The Wizards were led by their two most recent lottery picks. 2023 No. 7 pick Bilal Coulibaly had 19 points, three assists, four rebounds and four blocks. After a forgettable rookie season, 2022 No. 10 pick Johnny Davis dominated with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting and went 4-of-8 from 3.
The Thunder dropped to 2-2 in the Las Vegas summer league with the 16-point loss to the Wizards. OKC is scheduled to play one more game against an unknown opponent.
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Ousmane Dieng: B
With no Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams, it was Ousmane Dieng’s turn to be the top-scoring option once again.
It was a slow start for Dieng, but an excellent second half helped him finish the day with 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting, five rebounds and five assists in 28 minutes. He scored 12 points in the second half.
The third quarter most resembled the version of Dieng we’ve majorly seen in summer league, as he hit a pair of 3s that were off the catch and a stepback. Dieng shot 3-of-7 from 3 in the game.
The connect, the energy >>> pic.twitter.com/DfkN5SpXi1
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) July 14, 2023
Getting to our spots behind the arc early on 🎯 pic.twitter.com/CwHzN76pVv
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) July 14, 2023
Jared Butler: A-
Fighting to keep his two-way spot, Jared Butler led the Thunder in scoring in this loss. He finished with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting and four assists in 23 minutes. He also went 4-of-8 from 3.
Butler served as essentially OKC’s go-to scorer for most of the time he was on the court. It was a true paint-or-3s night for Butler, as he didn’t take a single mid-range shot the entire game.
Playing with several undrafted rookies and G League players, it only made sense for the third-year guard to naturally absorb scoring responsibilities. The efficient scoring is a plus with the newfound volume.
“The competitiveness has really ramped up for him,” Woods said about Butler. “… His attention to detail has been impressive.”
Cason Wallace: C
It was a tame game for Cason Wallace, who played a passive role on offense despite his draft pedigree.
In 26 minutes, the 2023 No. 10 pick finished with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting, two assists, two steals and four turnovers in 26 minutes. He also shot 2-of-4 from 3.
In these types of games, you’d hope someone like Wallace would be more aggressive by looking for their shot. Instead, it seems like he’d rather play within the flow of the offense than force shots up. Both approaches have their pros and cons, with the former’s involving having quiet games like this.
“The temperament he has is just awesome,” Butler said about Wallace. “It’s cool to see. I think he’s going to be a great player too.”
Cason Wallace cashes in the tough stepback 3 🔥
Watch Thunder/Wizards #NBA2KSummerLeague action on NBA TV!
📲: https://t.co/1vi3UqGwwk pic.twitter.com/0AlDI4cK5u
— NBA (@NBA) July 14, 2023
TyTy Washington Jr.: B-
Making his debut with the Thunder, TyTy Washington Jr. provided solid backup guard minutes. The 21-year-old was a late addition to the summer league roster after the Thunder recently made his acquisition official.
In 19 minutes off the bench, Washington Jr. finished with four points and two assists.
It’s unknown what Washington Jr.’s future with the Thunder holds — OKC already had a logjam of guards on their roster prior to his arrival. But he looked solid in this game considering the circumstances.
“I thought he played really well for a guy who really didn’t know anything on what was going on for us,” Woods said about Washington Jr. “… Looking forward to getting some film with him. Getting another practice under his belt.”
