Thunder in the news: Draft night prep, Harry Giles interest

Thunder in the news provides OKC Thunder fans with a daily recap surrounding their favorite team. Today we look past the big news around the NBA.

What a great day to be a fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder. And I don’t say that facetiously. We are now only nine days away from the NBA draft, meaning we are nine days away from adding a new member to the OKC family. Let’s get right to it.

A look inside the Thunder front office

Sam Presti has made a name for himself because of his incredible ability to identify talent. Brett Dawson from The Oklahoman highlights (as much as he can) the secrets behind Presti’s success and the rest of the organization.

"The Thunder will talk to a college prospect’s coaches, but also his high school teachers. Maybe some teammates. On a college campus, Dawkins said, Thunder scouts and front-office staff will “talk with everyone who will sit down with us” to get some insight into a player’s work ethic and personality.When a player visits Oklahoma City for a workout and interview, he meets with most every corner of the organization. Front-office staff and coaches, sure, but also the medical and analytics staffs, the public relations department and more. And every employee who meets a prospect is encouraged to share with draft decision-makers the impression he made."

Harry Giles…a target for OKC?

Giles is an intriguing prospect. On one hand he has outrageous potential. On the other hand it’s just that: potential. Albert Dadson from Hoops Habit explains why Giles is still worth the risk for Oklahoma City.

"The Oklahoma City Thunder could potentially draft the No. 1 player coming out of high school in 2016 in this year’s NBA Draft. His name is Harry Giles. The OKC Thunder need talent to go alongside Russell Westbrook, and when you get a top prospect coming out of college, then you did just that.Without cap space, it will be hard for the Thunder to sign a big name free agent or trade for a high quality player. A lot of people think Blake Griffin makes sense, but that will be hard because of the Thunder’s need to clear cap room to make space for his contract. Harry Giles could a great substitute because of his ability to play on both sides of the ball."

Derrick White may also be the pick

Now Derrick White could be even more interesting than Harry Giles. Although the upside isn’t as high, White fits a vital need for the Thunder. Don’t listen to me though, listen to my Thunderous Intentions compadre Joshua Lea.

"Derrick White would fit in beautifully with the Thunder based on the fact that he is a scoring point guard. Now I’m not saying he’s Westbrook 2.0; however, he is a very capable PG. Think of him as Greivis Vasquez meets Kevin Martin before he came to Oklahoma City.What’s interesting about White is his style of play. He can step back and shoot the three, drive to the rim for an easy bucket or create for his teammates. If White molds his game like Westbrook we could have a dynamic duo in the making."

Glad you found your way to Thunder in the news even though the 2016-2017 NBA season is over. It’s a good thing the next season starts in only nine days!