OKC Thunder ink former first round pick Justin Patton
By Rylan Stiles
The OKC Thunder and former first-round pick Justin Patton have agreed to a contract marking the third center on the roster.
The OKC Thunder still have a few roster spots to fill out ahead of the 2019-20 NBA Season, and they started chipping away at rounding out the roster with the addition of former first-round pick Justin Patton.
Justin Patton was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft with the 16th overall pick. Patton was packaged with Jimmy Butler to Minnesota, then again was accompanied by Jimmy Butler in a trade to the 76ers.
In his NBA career, Patton has played in just four games, he has scored a total of seven points, with six rebounds, three steals, and even three assists.
Welcome to OKC, Justin Patton! pic.twitter.com/9E1NH2pzqu
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) August 13, 2019
Justin Patton stands at seven feet tall and is 241 pounds. The newly acquired center is just 22 years old with still a ton of room to grow.
The Omaha native played his college ball at Creighton University and was the 63rd ranked player in the 2015 recruiting class.
What the move might mean to the roster?
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An interesting note, Patton wore the number zero a year ago with the 76ers…with Russell Westbrook’s departure, could Justin Patton be Russell Westbrook’s P.J. Dozier? (Okay, I am joking, they are not going to hand out the number zero ever again)
Another talking point of this move is that the OKC Thunder now have three centers on the roster, an unusual roster construct by OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti. While I do not think Steven Adams nor Nerlens Noel will be on the move, it is something to keep an eye on. Who knows what is up Presti’s sleeve.
In the G-League, Justin Patton posted 11 points and five rebounds. He will at the very least be a quality player for the OKC Blue, but given the roster spots available it does not seem as though he will be relegated to the G-League.
Most Anticipated OKC Thunder games for 2019-20. dark. Next
As usual, the details of this contract are not known. So this could be a training camp invite, a guaranteed roster spot, a two-way deal, or anything in between. Thanks, Sam Presti.