Grading Game 3 Summer League Performances From the OKC Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder finished up their Salt Lake City stint of the Summer League with an 86-82 loss to the Utah Jazz, who finished the slate undefeated. Led by big man Kyle Filupowski and guard Walter Clayton Jr., the Jazz had control of the game for most of the second half, en route to the win.

The star of the show for the Thunder was Ajay Mitchell, along with forward Malevy Leons. They did most of the heavy lifting and outside of those two, there wasn't much help on offense.

OKC now looks to the Las Vegas portion of the Summer League, with plenty of areas for improvement if they want to take home that trophy. If Mitchell ends up playing during this time, it's likely he can walk away with the MVP.

Below are player grades for each player who saw the court in the matchup.

Ajay Mitchell: A

It's hard to complain about Mitchell's outing in this matchup, especially with a potentially beat-up ankle. He finished the night with 19 points and eight assists on 6-for-15 shooting. He had to take some bad shots at the end of the game with made his efficiency plummet, but he was nearly flawless all night long.

His playmaking stood out the most, despite leading the team in scoring. Mitchell made plenty of impressive reads in pick-and-roll situations, especially around the high post. This will be a welcome skill set once the regular season rolls around.

Malevy Leons: A-

Once it was very clear that Mitchell was not playing at 100% health, Leons stepped up on both ends to keep the Thunder in the game. His 17 points mainly came in the second half, doing so on 7-for-9 shooting. He also racked up four steals, many of which came in one-on-one situations.

Brooks Barnhizer: B

Barnhizer continued to show why he was a valuable second-round selection in this year's draft, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists. His value clearly is on the defensive end, recording two blocks and two steals.

Jazian Gortman: B

Gortman didn't play a ton, but he showed his elite athleticism and downhill speed in that brief period. He checked in for the first time and quickly racked up four points, both of which came on downhill drives.

He missed five other shots and turned the ball over twice, but he was a quick spark plug for the Thunder.

Hason Ward: B-

Here's uet another exampleof the Iowa State graduate making a sneaky impact in the Summer League. He finished with seven points and a rebound in 14 minutes of play.

Cameron Brown: B-

Brown played 18 minutes in the contest, finishing with four points and an assist. He did turn the ball over twice, but he proved to be a great tempo pusher and helped the Thunder get back into the game.

Mady Sissoko: B-

Sissoko wasn't bad, but wasn't great. His finishing around the rim needs improvement, but wasn't bad in this matchup. He finished with six points on 3-for-6 shooting, grabbing seven rebounds in the process.

Chris Youngblood: C+

Youngblood has been a few three-point makes away from receiving a higher grade in multiple games, but he just hasn't managed to get them to fall at an efficient clip. Six points on 2-for-7 perimeter shooting against Utah doesn't help that case, but he has proven useful on defense.

Zack Austin: C-

Austin didn't do much, grabbing three rebounds in 11 minutes of play. He recorded a minus-12 plus-minus in that time, which is enough for the lower grade.

Nikola Topic: D+

This was not Topic's best outing. He was forcing shots, proved by his 3-for-12 shooting, and was constantly hounded by Utah's Elijah Harkless, which led to eight turnovers. This was the first time in the Summer League where he looked truly uncomfortable.

It's obvious that he's still getting his footing under him, so this may be a bit harsh. But it is fair to say that he did struggle a ton in this matchup and that he needs to get better. There were glimpses of good passing and downhill ability, but were overpowered by the many negative moments.