2024-25 Thunder player grades: Malevy Leons

The calendar has flipped to August, which means we've officially hit the low point of the NBA cycle. The next couple of months are the driest part of the year. Everybody has headed to vacation and awaits training camp to kick off the 2025-26 season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to enjoy their NBA championship. They had a historic 68-14 regular-season campaign that eventually led to the franchise's first title with a 2025 NBA Finals Game 7 win. They'll enter next season as a favorite to be a rare repeat winner.

To reflect on their title run, Thunder Wire will conduct 2024-25 season grades for all 19 players who suited up for the squad at one point during the year. Eighteenth up is Malevy Leons, who had a short stint on the Thunder:

2024-25 statistics:

• 0.3 points
• 0.5 rebounds
• 0.2 assists
• 00.0% shooting
• 00.0% 3-point shooting
• 50.0% free-throw shooting

Advanced stats:

• True-shooting percentage: 26.6%
• 3-point attempt rate: 50.0%
• Usage rate: 9.6%
• Win shares: 0.0
• VORP: minus-0.1

Significant Percentile Finishes:

• N/A

Contract:

• 2025-26: $2 million (Exhibit 10)

Thoughts:

We've now reached the bottom of the barrel. Leons had a cup of coffee on the Thunder. He was signed to a standard deal as they dealt with several frontcourt injuries to start the season. Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams were simultaneously out at one point.

The Thunder added Leons as insurance. He only spent two weeks on the roster. He appeared in six games during garbage time. He didn't show much in his limited time in the NBA, but spent last year in OKC as a developmental project.

The Thunder added Leons as an undrafted rookie out of Bradley. He has a unique background, with some professional overseas basketball experience. The 25-year-old spent last year mostly with the G League's OKC Blue. He has a solid size and frame, but his basketball skills are still raw, especially in the halfcourt.

Leons was brought back for the 2025 Summer League roster. That shows at least some level of interest from the Thunder. He started nearly all of the games. He became a steal machine because of his wingspan. Those glimpses showed why they're infatuated with him.

Even though the NBA and G League stats didn't pop off, the Thunder liked enough of what they saw from Leons to bring him back for a second season. It's worth the investment. If he can sharpen up his shot and handle, he could be an intriguing piece.

Moving Forward:

Even though he had a pedestrian Summer League stint, the Thunder will bring Leons for a second training camp and preseason. He was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal. He'll have a chance to compete for the vacant two-way spot on the roster. If not, they will at least have his G League rights to put him on the Blue.

No matter what stage of the team cycle they're in, the Thunder always love to take on these grand experiments. Most of the time, they don't work out. But on the rare times they do, it helps him win on the margins with their roster-building techniques.

No doubt Leons has the physical tools to be an NBA player. It's now about seeing if he can develop some skills that'll produce tangible results on the court. Maybe he can be a defensive forward and center tweener who's a threat in transition. That seems like his best bet to make it to the league.

Regardless, Leons' rookie season was pretty forgettable. He didn't do much in his short time on the Thunder. But the fact that he was on the roster to begin with shows an investment higher than your typical undrafted rookie. He's a ball of clay that can be molded into something.

Final Grade: D

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 2024-25 Thunder player grades: Malevy Leons