OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti is the right fit for this rebuild

The NBA Draft is a by and large a crapshoot, but Sam Presti has proven he knows more than most.

The NBA Draft is pretty much unpredictable. I mean, just sit back and think of what all goes into the NBA Draft.

First, you have to own a draft pick, which will be no problem for the OKC Thunder in the future. Then, the NBA Draft class of incoming prospects has to be littered with talent, which is not always the case. Next, you have to have a pretty poor season to capture that top end talent that can alter your franchise.

But wait, even if you have an awful season, there is no guarantee that you do earn that top pick, ask the Knicks or Suns from this past draft about that because of this pesky thing called the NBA lottery. On the flip side, the lottery could benefit you! Ask Memphis and New Orleans, but that is the thing…it’s a lottery. That in itself is a crapshoot.

For Sam Presti though, he has a good track record of draft picks.

Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden are all future NBA Hall of Famers and are all MVPs, including an NBA Champion in Kevin Durant

Serge Ibaka is another NBA Champion, Steven Adams is a fringe All-Star, Reggie Jackson is a very good role player in the NBA, Alex Abrines was a second round role player.

Terrance Ferguson is a starting caliber player who still has a ton of upside in Oklahoma City.

Not to mention selecting and flipping Rodrigue Beaubois, who was a nice piece for the Dallas Mavericks.

Presti also turned Eric Bledsoe‘s draft rights to the Clippers and used the asset he got back in the deal to gain Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson in a trade with the Boston Celtics, a team Presti was all too familiar with dealing with.

Does Sam Presti have some flops? Sure. Mitch McGary looked like a promising NBA player yet his personal life off the floor ended his career. How different does that pick look for Presti if McGary can stay on the floor?

Sure, Perry Jones never panned out with the 28th pick, and Josh Huestis never developed into anything after being selected with the 29th pick.

The only real whiff on Sam Presti’s resume is Cameron Payne. The dancing machine point guard from Murray State University did nothing for the squad besides keep Russell Westbrook energized at the scorer’s table before the game with his dancing skills.

And this season, Sam Presti took a huge chance on Darius Bazley, a new balance intern who has a lot of upside but is ultimately unknown.

Let’s now look at it from this rebuild. The OKC Thunder just earned five draft picks from the Los Angeles Clippers (two of which are owned by the Miami Heat). Sure, you can say well he has not hit on the 28th and 29th picks before, the Clippers are primed for good seasons. That is true.

But, the NBA and NCAA are working to abolish the one-and-done rule. If that happens by 2022 as expected, then the drafts get deeper, and those late first round picks stop being viewed as glorified second round picks but instead as something of great value.