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Even though the Oklahoma City Thunder fell to a lackluster 0-8 record in Summer League, the Oklahoma City Thunder should be mildly pleased with how they did at the July extravaganza. It took a handful of games to get comfortable, but Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz finally felt comfortable.
By their final games, you saw why the Thunder were excited to add Mara and Stirtz in the 2026 NBA draft. Both were taken with top-16 picks. As OKC recast its complementary pieces, those two could have huge futures on the contender.
By the end of Summer League, Mara played like an offensive hub on one end and then an old-school shot-blocker on the other. The 7-foot-3 center adds some unique elements that the Thunder had previously never had. And then Stirtz started to get into his bag. He heated up as a microwave scorer and ran the offense.
Thunder assistant Connor Johnson talked about his time in Las Vegas. He took over for OKC Blue head coach Daniel Dixon when they traveled from Utah to Nevada. He called the shots for their five games. He's been at his current job under Mark Daigneault's staff since 2023. Before that, he was on the Philadelphia 76ers.
"I really enjoy doing it. I like to be part of the first touch these guys get when they get into the NBA. Kinda help them go through the ups and downs of what this is," Johnson said. "That's kinda what we saw through this. We had some great moments. We had some things to work on. I really appreciate it. These guys we drafted are going to have long NBA careers. It's fun for me to be a part of the start of it."
The Thunder usually split their Summer League head coaching duties. Johnson has been part of the last two summers. Even though they went winless, the 0-8 record is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Instead, he helped Mara and Stirtz get their first taste of playing in the NBA.
Elsewhere, Johnson helped the rest of the Thunder roster. With most of them either undrafted rookies or G League players, they're fighting for their next contracts. Whether that's in OKC or elsewhere. Now, the NBA enters the drought portion of the league calendar. The next couple of months will be downtime as most teams have filled out their roster.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: OKC Thunder Summer League coach reflects on Las Vegas experience
