The OKC Thunder continued its Las Vegas Summer League run with a win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. Here are our takeaways.
Not a single player was left on OKC's bench during the fourth quarter of a Las Vegas Summer League game against New Orleans on Wednesday.
They were all standing underneath the basket, huddled around Brooks Barnhizer. The rookie forward had just attempted an ambitious one-handed dunk, and he collided with a baseline cameraman once he crash-landed onto the hardwood.
After taking his time to recover, Barnhizer finally reached out his hand for someone to help him up. About five hands reached back out, as everyone was eager to lift him up.
That moment summarized the game for OKC, which remained undefeated in Las Vegas with a 95-81 win over New Orleans. On a night when the Thunder was without Ajay Mitchell and Nikola Topić, its players lifted each other up to still secure the victory.
Barnhizer led the way with 19 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 24 minutes. He was one of five OKC players who scored double-digit points.
"I think there's been an unselfishness," OKC Summer League head coach Connor Johnson said. "We've really learned to play with each other. I think the team has great energy. They have great energy on the court, and they have great energy off the court."
OKC (4-0) is now poised to reach Las Vegas Summer League's four-team playoffs, which begins Saturday. There are eight undefeated teams left, but the Thunder has the best point differential (14.8) of the three teams that are 4-0. Point differential is the second tiebreaker, behind head-to-head record.
OKC will learn its fate Thursday night, once every team has played its four games. If the Thunder doesn't reach the playoffs, it'll play a consolation game on either Friday or Sunday.
Here are four more takeaways from the win:
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OKC's offense replaced Nikola Topić and Ajay Mitchell's playmaking via committee
OKC swung the ball around the perimeter late in the first quarter. The shot clock was dwindling, and it was searching for someone to make a play.
The Thunder had leaned on Topić and Mitchell in those situations throughout its Summer League run, but they weren't on the court. They were on the bench in street clothes, as OKC opted to sit them on the second night of a back to back.
That left it up to Branden Carlson. The big man hastily put the ball on the deck and heaved a baseline jumper, but it didn't leave his hands before the shot clock sounded.
It took some time for OKC to adjust to life without its two playmaking guards, but it ultimately filled that void via committee. Six Thunder players recorded at least two assists, and Cameron Brown led the way with five.
OKC ended the night with 23 assists. That surpassed its Summer League average of 19.
"With (Mitchell) and Topić not playing, we were still able to come out and be aggressive," Barnhizer said. "It means roles increase for other guys, and (Mitchell) and Topić were being our biggest cheerleaders on the bench. Every timeout, they were telling us what they see and cheering us on. It's so fun to be a part of a culture like that."
Malevy Leons' impact isn't seen on the stat sheet
One player showed no fears by sliding across the floor for a loose ball early in the third quarter, and it wasn't the guy with that word on the back of his jersey.
After poking the ball away from Jeremiah Fears, Malevy Leons didn't hesitate to hit the deck. And even though he didn't come up with the ball, he did manage to push it all the way to the other end of the court.
Fears finally gathered the ball under his own basket with seven seconds left on the shot clock, and New Orleans ultimately had to settle for a deep 3-pointer by Hunter Dickinson that clanked off the backboard.
Plays like that didn't show up on the stat sheet for Leons, who finished with nine points and six rebounds in 26 minutes. But the 6-foot-9 forward still impressed with his defensive versatility, guarding both on the perimeter and down low.
Leons is a 25-year-old guard who went undrafted in 2024. He averaged 10.1 points and 7.4 rebounds in 34 games with the OKC Blue, the Thunder's G League affiliate, last season.
Leons is a candidate to earn OKC's third and final two-way contract. The other two spots have gone to Carlson and Barnhizer.
Leons will have to compete with Chris Youngblood, among others, for that spot. Youngblood has also impressed this summer, and he recorded 14 points on Wednesday.
Brooks Barnhizer has an unmatched motor
After ripping the ball away from Fears midway through the third quarter, Barnhizer zipped a pass to Youngblood to start the fastbreak.
Barnhizer could've felt like he'd done his part at that point. It would've been easy to have left the rest up to his teammates, who had a three-on-one opportunity on the other end.
But when others would've taken their foot off the gas, Barnhizer punched the pedal.
He raced up the floor and was rewarded. A missed layup by Youngblood fell perfectly into the hands of Barnhizer, who got the putback shot to drop.
Barnhizer continues to impress this summer with his activity on both ends of the floor. He battles on the boards, invades passing lanes and makes timely cuts.
It's not hard to see why Barnhizer gained the attention of OKC, which selected him in the second round (No. 44 overall) of the 2025 draft. It then signed the Northwestern alum to a two-way contract.
New Orleans' Jeremiah Fears, Trey Alexander represented Oklahoma well
New Orleans' Summer League team has plenty of players with Oklahoma connections, and they showed out.
Oklahoma City native Trey Alexander racked up 25 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 25 minutes off the bench. The former undrafted guard signed a two-way contract with New Orleans earlier this month after he spent his rookie season with the Denver Nuggets.
Fears also delivered a strong performance with a stat line of 22 points, six rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes. New Orleans selected the former OU guard with the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
New Orleans even has another former OU player on its roster in Jalon Moore. The 6-7 forward could've potentially been a second-round selection in the most recent draft, but he tore his Achilles tendon during a pre-draft workout. He's now spending time with the Pelicans this summer while he recovers.
Up next for Thunder
OKC's next opponent has not yet been determined. It's in the running to compete in Las Vegas Summer League's four-team playoffs, which begins Saturday. If it doesn't reach the playoffs, it'll play a consolation game on either Friday or Sunday.
Justin Martinez covers sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Brooks Barnhizer, OKC Thunder roar past Pelicans in NBA Summer League
Category: Basketball
