THUNDER - The Oklahoma City Thunder held a fireworks show in their 112-107 preseason win over the San Antonio Spurs.

After months of anticipation, Mark Daigneault showed off his new backpack and sneakers on the first day of school. Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso were marvelous in their debut. The duo were a game-high plus-20. Their fit on the Thunder went as seamless as one could’ve hoped for.

Alas, they only played the first half. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams also sat out after the first half. That didn’t sputter the fireworks though. Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell carried the baton. The two rookies aren’t expected to contribute much in their first year, but they might force the issue if they carry over their second- half performance to the rest of the preseason.

Jones finished with 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting, five rebounds and three assists. Mitchell tallied 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, two rebounds and two assists.

The result didn’t matter, but the situation did. In a tight contest against the Spurs, the rookies led the Thunder to a close win. Those clutch-time reps provide an experience that can’t be replicated in practice.

The former flexed his positional versatility. The NBA’s Shohei Ohtani, Jones had possessions where he brought up the ball and others where he set screens. He even displayed his shot creation skills with a hesi-baseline jumper. The latter proved a steady presence as a ball-handler. Mitchell played closer to an NBA vet than a two-way rookie.

“The best part about those two guys tonight is they were really confident. They went out there and they seemed to have clear heads,” Daigneault said about Jones and Mitchell. “We don’t want overthinking have them overthinking this early on. Their confidence was really high.”

On offense, Isaiah Hartenstein showed off his playmaking. The seven footer was used as an offensive hub in his limited action. He’d dribble toward the basket before dishing out a flashy pass to his teammates. He’d also be part of several dribble handoffs and created space with hard screens for his teammates.

It was everything the Thunder likely envisioned and then some. Hartenstein

finished with four points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 17 minutes off the bench. He sat out the second half with Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso and Holmgren.

“It was a lot of fun. Just giving him different options. Think we had a couple of times he came off a hand-off. Played DHO together,” Hartenstein

said about his pairing with Holmgren. “Defensively, he can go contest, I can go contest. We also know we’re going to get the rebound after.”

After not rostering a traditional backup center for the last two seasons, the Thunder pivoted and added one of the league’s best backup bigs. Hartenstein unlocks several levels OKC can utilize on both sides of the floor. Its preseason opener showed a quick glimpse of what will happen once the games start to matter.

“It was a lot of play. Need to keep building on that,” Hartenstein said.

The Thunder’s depth continues to be ridiculously rich. Jones and Mitchell would get playing time in almost any other situation. But because they’re in OKC, they likely won’t see a lot of action in their first years.

Despite that though, the duo had a strong start. A positive preseason debut where they flashed their strengths should excite the Thunder. If both develop as quality role players in OKC, that’s a two-run home run selection.

“You saw two guys go out there and really compete and play with confidence and try to do the right thing,” Daigneault said. “That’s all we can ask for right now.”

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