Several teams took a liking to Dillon Jones by scouting him at games during the 2023-24 season, and it only takes one to make dreams come true.

The Oklahoma City Thunder did that Wednesday night, selecting the Weber State great with the No. 26 pick in the NBA draft.

Jones is the second Weber State player ever taken in the first round of the NBA draft, joining Damian Lillard (2012). He’s the program’s 16th overall NBA draft selection and third in the last 12 years (joining Joel Bolomboy in 2016).

Becoming a first-round draft pick carries more than just bragging rights. First-round picks sign guaranteed contracts — a two-year deal with team options in the third and fourth years.

Sportico reports Jones, at the 26th pick, will make $5.4 million through the first two guaranteed years. If the Thunder picked up both team options, he’d take in a total of $13.5 million.

Second-round picks have no contract or salary guarantees and typically must earn their way onto the team through summer league and other team workouts.

The Thunder were long known to have high interest in Jones, enough so that the Standard-Examiner’s Sunday profile about Jones pointed out the possibility of OKC trading into a spot before the final four picks to get him.

That’s how it played out. The New York Knicks owned picks No. 24 and 25, and traded No. 24 to the Washington Wizards.

The Thunder, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic, then traded five second-round picks to acquire No. 26 from the Wizards and take their prize in Jones.

Jones left Weber State first in career steals, second in assists, third in rebounds and fifth in points. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game, and was the first Division I men’s player in at least 31 years to total 600 points, 300 rebounds, 160 assists and 60 steals in one season

Many mock drafts following the 2023-24 season had Jones in the first round, as high as the 24th pick. But most writers slowly pushed him down their lists through June, including some dropping him from No. 50 all the way to being undrafted in their final updates prior to the draft.

It appears scouts and NBA front offices — at least those for the Thunder — didn’t lose sight of what they learned when scouting Jones in person throughout the season.

Jones’ most highly scouted games included his chase-down block and 3-pointer sequence against Montana; shooting 4 of 5 from the 3-point line and making a game-winner against South Dakota State for 23 points and nine assists; shooting 10 of 13 on two-pointers for 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a road win at Oral Roberts; and punctuated with his otherworldly 30 points, 23 rebounds and nine assists against Northern Colorado.

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