OKC Thunder: New mock draft has Moses Moody heading to Sooner State

After five straight postseason berths and 10 total appearances in the league’s second season over their 13-year existence, the OKC Thunder find themselves embarking on a relatively new journey  — a full-fledged franchise rebuild.

A bit different than most other recent examples of teams in such a phase, for Oklahoma City seemingly already has their franchise player in place in arguable All-Star snub, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, this squad has their sights sets on the future, and will likely go the traditional path towards building which, as many of you already know, is via the draft.

Thanks to the stupendous negotiation skills of General Manager Sam Presti over the past several offseasons, the Thunder find themselves in possession of 34 draft picks through the year 2027, half of which reside in the first round.

This year alone, the front office could find themselves working with upwards of four potential first-rounders and, if the season were to end today, their own pick finds itself projected as the ninth overall selection in July’s draft.

While many fans were hoping to see this team vying for the top slot this year and, with it, nab Cade Cunningham out of Oklahoma State, this rookie class seems to be chock full of quality talent, especially within the lottery, thus meaning that even having a pick at the bottom half at the top-10 could land a franchise a solid prospect to bring on as a building block.

In a recent mock draft by Bleacher Report, though we may not see OKC bring on the combo guard many initially wanted, writer Jonathan Wasserman has Arkansas’ one-and-done standout prospect, Moses Moody, heading to the Sooner State at ninth overall.

B/R’s recent mock draft has Moses Moody heading to OKC Thunder ninth overall

It’s evident that the OKC Thunder could be interested in adding a long-term staple within the backcourt to develop alongside SGA for years to come. Despite his lackadaisical NCAA Tournament run, Wasserman currently believes that, should Moody be available once Presit’s turn arrives, the 18-year-old could be a fine selection for the franchise:

"By draft night, teams will have forgotten about Moses Moody’s rough NCAA tournament.Entering it, he’d gone for 28 points in three of four games. And he’d been a consistent scorer throughout the season, despite being used almost exclusively off the ball in a spot-up role.Moody has a strong case for top three-and-D prospect in the draft. And though he’s still limited creating off the dribble, there were flashes of a pull-up game and shot-making versatility to build on."

On the year, Moody saw per-game averages of 16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, one steal, and just shy of a block on 43 percent shooting from the floor and 36 percent shooting from deep.

With analysts making comparisons to his game with the likes of Joe Johnson and Allan Houston, it’s evident that the young guard has solid potential coming alongside him.

Though we at TI believe the front office should gear their attention more towards adding a floor general rather than another backcourt scorer, the idea of bringing on Moses Moody with one of their first-rounders is certainly something to be intrigued by.