Perry Jones III Out for Summer League, Ryan Reid In

Via Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK.com:

"Thunder forward Perry Jones III is unlikely to participate in the Orlando Pro Summer League this week after undergoing an oral procedure to remedy an infection.

Jones, now in his second year after being drafted 28th overall in 2012 out of Baylor, will be with the team in Orlando and there is slight chance he might be able to compete later in the week. But he's considered questionable going into the week, and it seems likely he won't take the court at all.

The procedure, however, was minor, and Jones is expected to return to the court soon.

In the meantime, the Thunder has added Ryan Reid to its summer league roster."

Welp, this is kind of a bummer. All of us were really looking forward to our first true look at Perry Jones since last year's Pre-Season, but it looks like he'll be taking the court scarcely, if at all. Jones was expected to play Small Forward or Power Forward, and who this frees up time for really depends on Rex Kalamian's strategy. If the Thunder go small, we could see more swingmen like Michael Snaer or Kyle Kuric. If the Thunder go big, we'll see more of Ron Anderson or Ryan Reid. (If you want to find you about the earlier three, check out my breakdown of the Thunder's Summer League roster.)

Speaking of Reid, he's kind of an unusual inclusion on this year's Summer League team. He's in his third year as a pro after four years of college, and at 26, he's a pretty well developed basketball player. He's made the Thunder roster before, spending a fleeting stint at the 15th man. The Thunder already know what he has to offer, and he wouldn't learn a lot from playing in the Summer League.

Reid's path to where he is was that of an underdog. When I interviewed Tomahawk Nation about the Thunder drafting Reid in 2010, their blogger was just as shocked at his selection as I was. But somehow, he went to the 66ers and managed to post numbers similar to those he had in college, which were around 8 points and 6 boards. The next season, he somehow managed to improve his average a near double-double. Still, his numbers weren't near the best on the team. In fact, Marcus Lewis was a far better player at Reids position. The Thunder decided to ignore the talent and go with the work ethic, signing him to bang in practice and ride the pine. He was eventually waived to make room for Derek Fisher.

Reid had a brief stint with a Puerto Rican team later in 2012, but eventually signed with Chorale Roanne. They're a member of LNB Pro A, the best league in France. While there, he continued to post solid and efficient scoring and rebounding numbers, though the other areas of his game had fallen off. Against a lot of odds, he has proven that he has the talent to start for above-average European teams. However, I still don't think that he has the talent to make the NBA. I love his sense of work ethic and how he's proven people wrong time and again, but when you consider his low summer league numbers in 2010 and 2012, it's just hard to see him ever making it back into the league.

That being said, Reid will provide a veteran presence on the team, and will bring an excellent sense of the game to some young prospects that really need it. He'll hold off bigger men for rebounds and use his strength to work himself into the post. He's got an excellent sense of positioning, and is willing to work his tail off to beat you. Basically, he's the classical type of big man that can help the younger guys learn how to play the game.

The first Summer League game is today at 2 PM!