Coach Daigneault’s response to Dillon Jones’ Thunder G League adventure

Amid the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s four-day break, head coach Mark Daigneault observed a back-to-back from the Oklahoma City Blue, the team’s G League affiliate, which featured Dillon Jones in its latest contest. The Blue improved to 5-1, winning a pair of games against the Texas Legends and Rio Grande Valley Vipers, where Jones notched his first career triple-double and second-year guard Adam Flagler shined, draining a combined 12 3-pointers in both outings. Branden Carlson also impressed Daigneault.

Ahead of preparing for the Sacramento Kings on Monday, the Thunder head coach talked about what he saw from each player, including Ousmane Dieng, who was assigned to face the Vipers, along with Jones, the morning of Friday’s game.

“It was good to see Branden play these last two games. He’s a good player. I enjoyed watching him. Flagler, the last two games, played really well,” Daigneault said. “Then, Dillon, seeing him out there, obviously, Ous left the game. But Dillon was good. I thought he played a really good floor game. He didn’t try to do too much. [He] really impacted the game. Played a lot of minutes. So, it was good to see those guys out there.”

Carlson drained five threes en route to 25 points in the Blue’s 109-97 win against the Legends. Then, he finished with a double-double (16 points, 13 rebounds) in a 107-97 win against the on Friday, when Dillon finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.

“He plays a simple game. That’s the first thing. He doesn’t really complicate anything. He plays to his strength,” Daigneault said about Dillon’s game. “He can shoot. He keeps the ball moving. He understands how to use his length around the basket and sticks his nose in plays and contests.”

After playing seven minutes on Friday, Dieng suffered a hand injury and headed toward the locker room. OKC ultimately ruled Dieng out for the rest of the game.

Thunder’s Ousmane Dieng fractures finger, out for 3-4 weeks

After Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault spoke to the media, the team announced Ousmane Dieng suffered a fracture in his right ring finger and will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks. After Adam Flagler drained seven threes against the Texas Legends, Dieng was assigned to the Blue, the Thunder G League affiliate, and sustained the injury in Friday’s win against the Vipers.

After the win, Dieng, Branden Carlson, and Dillon Jones were all recalled to the Thunder ahead of their upcoming four-game road trip, starting against the Kings on Monday.