OKC Thunder rook gains peer respect, plus 3 takeaways from NBA survey

The annual NBA Rookie Survey heaped praise on one OKC Thunder rookie and also led to three keys to keep in mind this season from the 2018 draft class.

The annual NBA Rookie survey was released August 21 offering some intriguing insights by the youngsters entering the league. As in past seasons the survey occurred during the rookie photo shoot. This season that included 36 rookies providing answers to seven questions.

It’s important to note, like fans the youngsters know their favorite teams and players. That means they might not have a full grasp of the field or all conferences in the NCAA. For that reason the selections they make aren’t always reflective of what the final numbers state. For example, how many of the prospects know Luka Donkic or his game? And, given this fact could his low ranking in most of the questions be reflective of that?

As for the OKC Thunder rookies they were selected in the second round and therefore weren’t in the mix of the top tier players. Although one OKC Thunder rookie did get recognized in three of the seven questions. That in itself is an accomplishment given how low the Thunder rookies were selected.

Last season, the prospect list was stacked with top performers and a few players who already have established themselves among the league’s elite. OKC are extremely familiar with Donovan Mitchell’s prowess having lost to the Jazz in the first round. Reflecting back on the season, Mitchell was also one of the few players (let alone rookies) Russell Westbrook bothered to speak to post game.