Nate Billings, Associated Press
It took some waiting, but Dillon Jones got his moment Saturday night in the final NBA Summer League game for the Washington Wizards.
The Weber State alum and new Wizard led his summer club to a 94-85 win over New York in Las Vegas, peppering the Knicks from all three levels. Jones totaled 25 points and 11 rebounds in 36 minutes for a notable performance.
“There’s no question who’s been the best player in this game today, and that’s been Dillon Jones,” said NBA TV’s color analyst during the fourth quarter, just as Jones got the ball on the left wing. Jones went between his legs twice, crossed over another time, pivoted toward the baseline and stepped back for a clean look at a baseline jumper, which rattled home for his final field goal of the day.
“Dillon Jones has been electric!” exclaimed the play-by-play announcer.
Jones shot 8 of 13 overall, 2 of 3 from the 3-point line and 7 of 9 at the free-throw stripe while adding three assists, two steals and one block.
“He’s a really versatile defender and he’s a veteran in this space, so he did a really good job of leading his group on the floor,” said JJ Outlaw, Washington’s head coach for Summer League. “Just very proud of his effort, his leadership and everything he brought to this team throughout Summer League.”
After his draft selection and eventual NBA title with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jones was shipped to Washington in a trade as the Thunder needed to make more playing time for Nikola Topic and needed a roster spot for this year’s first-round pick. The Wizards seemingly focused their early Summer League games on getting their 2025 draft picks on the court first, so Jones got just 9 minutes of action in the first two games.
“That’s the tough part about Summer League is that, a lot of different things going on, you put a team together in a week and try to figure it out. Especially for the Wizards with a lot of young guys playing,” Jones said. “The trade happened so fast, I was just trying to come in and be part of the group and just figure it out when I could. I’m a player who plays the game the right way. I’m not going to go out there and just try to say I’m trying to prove that I can play. I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t do that. I just knew to stay the course during Summer League and my opportunity would come.”
Jones played 19 minutes in a game against Philadelphia, totaling five points and four rebounds on 2-of-2 shooting from the field. He logged a plus-one in the plus-minus, Washington’s only positive player in a 16-point loss.
Jones netted 12 points in the next outing against Utah, but grabbed just one rebound and shot 4 of 12 in a loss. So Saturday gave him a bounce-back game to end Summer League on a more positive note.
“You always have to prove yourself regardless, on any roster. Coming into a new situation, at some point, the opportunity would come and I would just have to deliver,” Jones said. “I prepared for the moment throughout the playoffs; I saw a lot of high-level basketball recently. … Just stay the course and I’d be able to put a good day today.
“I approached it the same way I approached every other game but as the stakes (rose), I was able to rise with them, and I think that’s who I am. The opportunity was there for me tonight.”
Another Weber State alum had a different experience. Blaise Threatt was one of 20 players the Milwaukee Bucks rostered for Summer League and an ankle injury during practice meant Threatt did not see action in any of the Bucks’ five games in Las Vegas.
Copyright © 2025 Ogden Newspapers of Utah, LLC | www.standard.net | 332 Standard Way, Ogden, UT 84404
