Only a couple of weeks ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder were crowned NBA champions. Now, their young players turn around and play in the NBA Summer League while the champagne is hardly dry. Tuesday will be their third contest of the summer as they go up against the Utah Jazz.
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Jazz as two-point favorites at -130 on the Moneyline ahead of the final matchup of the Salt Lake City Summer League tournament. The Thunder are listed at +110 odds on the Moneyline with the game total set at 178.5.
Let’s get into a breakdown of these two squads, players to watch, and a pick for the contest.
Thunder vs. Jazz prediction, preview
The gaps in strategy between Summer League rosters can be fascinating. Teams vary from those consisting entirely of youth to those full of veteran tryouts and retreads of recent picks. The Thunder are one of the former.
Of the 19 players on Oklahoma City’s Summer League roster, 14 of them are rookies or have no NBA experience. The rest have just one year of experience under their belts. In total, they have four draft picks on the roster: Nikola Topić, Thomas Sorber, Ajay Mitchell, and Brooks Barnhizer. Topić will have a lot of eyes on him since after sitting out his rookie season with an ACL injury, the 19-year-old gets some of his first looks against NBA-level competition.
Ajay Mitchell is the only one who has played with the big club. He appeared in 36 games last year, demonstrating a lot of defensive energy and knocking down shots. Sam Presti and the Thunder brass will also get looks at Thomas Sorber and Brooks Barnhizer, their two selections from the 2025 NBA Draft. Outside of them, not many names are expected to stick on the roster, but that’s not the fault of the players.
Oklahoma City ran it back this offseason with no additions and no departures — just extensions. Their players are young and under contract, and the rich get richer with their hoard of draft picks. They had to trade the 24th overall pick to the Kings for a future first-round pick of equivalent value because they don’t have the room to roster anyone else. It’s a good problem to have, but one that comes with costs. That means no priority undrafted free agent pickups because no playing time is there for the taking.
The Jazz have a similar problem, albeit for different reasons. They’ve been armed with draft picks but have yet to take a top-five selection during their rebuild until this season. That honor goes to Ace Bailey, who seemed less than enthused after trying to wield control over his destination. But he’s reported to the Jazz and put the drama aside to let the hooping begin.
Bailey isn’t close to the only first-round pick on the roster. Utah is also sending Brice Sensabaugh, Isaiah Collier, Cody Williams, and Walter Clayton Jr to Summer League. On top of that, Kyle Filipowski (32nd pick in 2024) and John Tonje (53rd pick in 2025) are present. The Jazz also have a priority undrafted free agent in RJ Luis Jr., who many expected to go in the second round this year.
It’s a very different strategy for the Jazz compared to the Thunder. Sensabaugh has two full years of NBA experience under his belt. Collier, Williams, and Filipowski were often starters last season. However, as I mentioned, the Jazz have a similar issue to the Thunder. They’re starting to run out of roster spots and have to make some decisions.
Right now, Utah has 18 players under contract. That’s not a huge obstacle for this current season: Kevin Love, Jusuf Nurkic, and Kyle Anderson are all buyout eligible after arriving in offseason deals. They also have Jaden Springer on a non-guaranteed tryout deal. Getting to 15 players should be easy, but it’s the upcoming years that present problems.
Nine of the 10 players Utah is sure to go into the season with are on their rookie contracts. The sole veteran mainstay is Lauri Markkanen. Other than the big Finn, every other foundational spot in this squad is up for grabs. And, to this point, they haven’t figured out who stays. Time is running out for Utah to determine who will be the centerpiece of the rebuild. This Summer League provides them with more data to make those tough decisions more accurately.
Thunder vs. Jazz pick, best bet
This Utah team can ball. Ace Bailey, Cody Williams, and Brice Sensabaugh scored a combined 73 points on Monday night. The three wing players all shot 50% or better from the field, including a nuclear scoring night from Sensabaugh. The 21-year-old scored 37 points against the Grizzlies on 9-of-14 shooting, including 6-of-9 from deep and 13-of-14 from the free throw line.
Sensabaugh is the kind of scorer who can carry a team in this environment. Big-bodied with a smooth shot, he’s made for this kind of basketball. Add in a good rotation of bigs and strong guards, and you have a team capable of winning the Summer League. In fact, they are the current favorites on the DraftKings Sportsbook for once the featured Las Vegas tourney begins on July 10.
OKC has a good summer squad but I don’t trust Topic to knock enough rust off to make them a winning team. Ajay Mitchell and Thomas Sorber don’t start the fire offensively, they just keep it burning. Utah should win this one comfortably.
Top Pick: Utah Jazz -2
