Inside The Thunder

OKC Thunder See Two Tabbed on Summer League Standout List

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen Nikola Topic and Ajay Mitchell tabbed to the Salt Lake City Summer League Standout list.
Rylan Stiles|
Nikola Topic is pictured during the Thunder media day at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024.
Nikola Topic is pictured during the Thunder media day at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen two land on the Salt Lake City Summer League standout list. Just weeks after winning the NBA Championship, the OKC Thunder returned to the hardwood with its summer league squad.

All eyes were on the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Nikola Topic. The Oklahoma City Thunder saw Topic make his NBA debut in Salt Lake City as the Thunder battled the Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Utah Jazz in a round-robin Summer League circuit.

Topic made standout plays with his high-level playmaking and feel for the game, setting up his teammates for success but being left out to dry with plenty of potential assists that could've made his box score much better. The rookie's ability to physically get to the rim looked good and the vision of him pitching in with Oklahoma City's secondary offense was easy to see.

The Thunder lacked playmaking in the half-court with their bench unit, particularly after rookie Ajay Mitchell went down with a toe injury. Topic's ability to touch the paint and spray out to the open man was eye-catching during the Summer League.

It wasn't all perfect, the turnovers got loud at times and the lottery pick is still a below average defender –– as expected –– but ultimately he did enough to land on the Salt Lake City Summer League standout list.

Mitchell joined Topic in Summer League and played the part of the best player on the floor in all three games. The UC Santa Barbara product was in control with the ball in his hand, turning the corner to get downhill at will and dominating the competition to join Topic on the Summer League standout list.

The two Thunder standouts are accompanied by Jaylen Wells (Memphis), VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia), Kyle Filipowski (Utah) and Brice Sensabaugh (Utah).

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Rylan Stiles
RYLAN STILES

Rylan Stiles is a credentialed media member covering the Oklahoma City Thunder. He hosts the Locked On Thunder Podcast, and is Lead Beat Writer for Inside the Thunder. Rylan is also an award-winning play-by-play broadcaster for the Oklahoma Sports Network. 

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