OKC Thunder happy to see Malevy Leons succeed on Warriors
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Tying up the game, Malevy Leons invoked some revenge with an outside jumper. He helped the Oklahoma City Thunder sweat out a 104-97 win over the Golden State Warriors. A milk-toast crowd reaction was the right fuel for his motor.
While most Thunder fans don't remember Leons' time in OKC, the organization certainly does. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault spoke glowingly about the 26-year-old as he spent his first one-plus years in the league with him. Even if he didn't do much at the NBA level, he developed in the background.
"We've had great guys here, but he's one of the nicest people that we've had through. He's incredible. Incredibly grateful. He's so consistent with his mood. He's a great spirit, he's a great teammate and he's a really good competitor," Daigneault said. "He's got kind of an unorthodox aesthetic as a player. If you dribble near him, he's going to take the ball from you. He's always coming up with the loose balls. He's always rebounding. He's just a winning player in terms of his game."
Leons went undrafted out of Bradley in 2024. The Thunder added him to their Summer League squad. He impressed enough to be added to the G League's OKC Blue roster. Over the last two seasons, he's spent time in the developmental league honing his craft.
Leons had a cup of coffee with the Thunder last season. He appeared in six seasons. Brought back for a second season, OKC's scouting department officially tallied a win for finding him as the Warriors added him to a two-way deal in Jan. 2026.
Leons has averaged 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 10 games. The stats don't pop out, but the Warriors have figured out how to stay in the postseason picture despite Stephen Curry's extended absence from a knee injury and Jimmy Butler III's season-ending torn ACL.
Always cool to see other NBA teams add talent from OKC's pool. The Thunder are known as one of the best developmental teams in the league. You're seeing that both on their roster and elsewhere. Add Leons to the growing list of guys.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: OKC Thunder happy to see Malevy Leons succeed on Warriors