OKC Thunder Draft: Breaking Down Team’s Top Choices

Mar 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Devin Booker (1) shoots over Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Jerian Grant (22) during the first half in the finals of the midwest regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Devin Booker

Reviewer: Sam Livingston (@samkam0)

Strengths: Booker’s first and foremost strength is his elite shooting ability. He is an elite shooter evidenced by his 41.1% clip from behind the line. Booker’s ability to score without needing to have the ball in his hands or create for himself is also a very attractive skill. Even though Booker was not a featured option at Kentucky, he still managed to be the second highest scorer on the team. This is a true testament to how good Booker was at moving off the ball which is a highly sought after skill in today’s NBA where there are so many ball-dominant guards. Another strength of Booker’s is his size for his position. Standing at 6-6 and weighing in at 206 pounds is a huge plus for a shooting guard who is also a smooth athlete. Booker’s size and skill offers much upside to a team looking for a future starting shooting guard.

Weaknesses: There aren’t many glaring weaknesses that suggest Booker will turn out a bust but there are a few flaws that suggest he may not reach his ceiling. The first is not having the ability to create his own shot or score off the dribble. Booker’s calling card is his shooting but in order to be able to eventually be seen as one of the top tier shooting guards, he’s going to have to work on the rest of his offensive arsenal as he is fairly one dimensional at this point in his career (although that didn’t stop Kyle Korver or Anthony Morrow from finding success). Another of Booker’s weaknesses is his lack of elite strength or length which will hinder him from being able to defend some of the more talented shooting guards early in his career. Until Booker learns the tricks of the trade on defense he is going to have to rely on his average athleticism which doesn’t inspire too much confidence.

How Does He Fit? Booker would slide in perfectly on the Thunder as he fits the team’s most glaring need: a wing with two-way potential and an excellent shooting stroke who can score without the ball in his hands. While Morrow is an elite shooter and Andre Roberson is an exceptional defender, the Thunder doesn’t have a player who plays above average basketball on both ends. A case can be made that Dion Waiters is that player but