OKC Thunder: NBA Draft prospect from each Final 4 team to consider

OKC Thunder – Houston draft prospect to watch: guard, Quentin Grimes

With top-seeded teams falling early it meant clubs with more of a team approach moved forward in the tourney. That also meant players not necessarily earmarked in the first round or even in the top half of the second round of mock drafts would get a closer look.

While Gonzaga and Baylor have players who’ll be tapped as lottery selections that wasn’t the case for the Houston Cougars or UCLA Bruins. That’s not to say there aren’t talents on either squad or potential future NBA stars.

In terms of who Thunder Nation should keep their eyes peeled for on Houston, three-year college guard Quentin Grimes is raising eyebrows as well as his prospect stock.

Of note, an interesting commonality of two prospects on this list is they are transfer students. Grimes began his NCAA basketball life with the Kansas Jayhawks but transferred to Houston after his first year.

With those three years of NCAA experience, Grimes’ maturity shows via his all-around game. This season he averaged 18.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals. The part of his offensive game drawing the most attention is his perimeter prowess with an efficiency of 41.2 percent. But don’t sleep on his on-ball defense. Houston got to the Final Four via their defensive acumen and Grimes plays his part within the Cougars team system.

Noted as a gym rat who works hard to improve his game that stellar perimeter shooting is one of the tangible benefits of that dedication.

In the tournament, he experienced perhaps the biggest personal swing in momentum in round two. Rutgers was up by five in the middle of clutch time with Grimes at the charity stripe. Uncharacteristically, the 78.0 percent free throw shooter missed both attempts. Undeterred he followed his shot, reset the offense, and drilled a 3-pointer. That series of events switched the pendulum in the Cougars’ favor as they went on to win the game.

Grimes is proving he’s got the chops when the lights are brightest. Case in point, in the Elite Eight showdown it was a series of his late-game 3-pointers that sealed the victory for the Cougars over Oregon State.

He’s not likely a draft prospect the OKC Thunder would have at the top of their shortlist, but he’s worth a look.