Top Performers: Butler, Dieng Continue to Impress in Loss to Wizards

On Friday night, in their fourth game of Summer League action in Las Vegas, the Oklahoma City Thunder struggled to contain former 10th overall pick Johnny Davis and the Washington Wizards, losing handily, 89-105.

The absence of Chet Holmgren led to the Thunder rolling out a rather thin and highly exploitable frontcourt. That led to the Wizards generating 27 free throws. The seventh pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Bilal Coulibaly, accounted for a game-high nine of them.

Beyond that, the Wizards also converted 53.7% of their 67 attempts from the field versus the Thunder’s 41.2% on 80 attempts — a discrepancy difficult to overcome.

It also didn’t help that Oklahoma City’s rather small lineups made them significantly easier to defend, resulting in 21 turnovers for the Thunder, and nine blocks, and four steals, for Washington. Shooting over the Thunder didn’t seem too difficult either, evidenced by the Wizards’ blistering 57.1% mark from beyond the arc.

Here are the Thunder’s top performers from Friday night’s action:

Jared Butler

On a night where the Thunder struggled to put the ball in the basket, Butler continued his show of poise, consistency, and competency he displayed in this year’s Summer League, leading the team with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting.

His understanding of how to operate pick-and-rolls, knack for 3-point-shooting, and playmaking chops were central to the Thunder’s offense, as well. That led to four 3-pointers, four assists, and just one turnover for the former Baylor Bear.

Ousmane Dieng

Dieng topped off an impressive Summer League run against the Wizards, exerting a new level of comfort on the basketball court. He finished with the second most points on the team with 17, shooting 5-of-12 from the floor, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line, and converting three of his seven 3-pointers.

Timely passing from the sophomore forward, as well as his length, also led to Dieng finishing the game with a team-high five assists to just two turnovers to go along with one steal and one block.

Keyontae Johnson

Although Johnson only scored nine points, his overall energy and activity on the court was enough to earn him the third spot on the “top performers” list. The senior out of Kansas State also tacked on six rebounds, an assist, and hit one of his two 3-point attempts.

The Thunder’s 50th pick also had two noteworthy plays in the match.

Halfway through the first frame, Johnson drilled an awkward step-back 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of his defender. And at about the 6:30 mark in the second quarter, Johnson, off a missed shot by Washington, rocketed a full-court pass to a streaking Butler, who was able to find a cutting Hunter Maldonado for the easy lay-in.