expected to draw two-way interest around the league
While the G League draft is rarely cause for note, the Lakers made a very interesting move in Saturday’s.
Holding the No. 1 pick after a trade, the Lakers
selected former Thunder wing Dillon Jones. Oklahoma City drafted Jones in the 2024 draft with the No. 26 pick.
At one point, OKC paid a pretty penny for Jones, trading five second round picks to the Knicks for his draft rights. Jones played in 54 games in the 2024-25 season for the Thunder, averaging 2.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. In June, Jones was traded to the Wizards before being waived after preseason.
Jones was part of a roster crunch in Washington and was expected to draw two-way interest around the league. Instead, the Lakers land him for their G League team.
In the G League last season, Jones played five games, averaging 14 points, 9.2 rebounds and 7.6 assists. He struggled with efficiency, shooting 37.5% from the field and 33.3% from the 3-point line.
At the draft combine, Jones measured 6’4.5” with a 6’11” wingspan. With Weber State in his senior season, Jones averaged 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists, but shot just 32.4% from the 3-point line. Clearly, his swing skill as to whether he can be a legitimate NBA player will be his long-range shooting.
But at 23 years old, it’s a good gamble for the Lakers, who can bring him into a system that is know nfor developing talent. And if nothing else, the Lakers have a history of turning OKC G League players into champions.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
