OKC Thunder Draft: 2 players to target with Houston Rockets pick

OKC Thunder draft target No. 1) Jonathan Kuminga

The OKC Thunder are in the enviable stage of their rebuild where they can simply go the route of “best player available” and, assuming the Houston Rockets pick winds up landing at fifth overall, Jonathan Kuminga likely will be the player that fits this bill.

Viewed by the majority of sport media outlets as the fifth-best prospect coming out of this year’s upcoming draft class, the 18-year-old simply oozes with potential to serve as a stupendous modern-day two-way wing.

Due to the stupendous play of teammate Jalen Green, it would appear Kuminga ‘s production was relatively overshadowed. However, this should not take away from the impressive season in which he had with the G League’s Ignite

During his 2020-21 campaign, the forward managed to post solid per-game averages of 15.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, one steal, and just shy of a block in 32.8 minutes a game.

Though his shooting splits of 39/ 25/ 63 certainly could be viewed as concerning — which was certainly highlighted in our write up on a recent mock draft by Bleacher Report — his defensive versatility on the less glamorous side of the ball and his overall hustle have intrigued scouts enough to make them look past his underwhelming shooting stroke and list him close to the top of this year’s big board.

Many would deem it an obvious choice to nab Jonathan Kuminga should the OKC Thunder find themselves on the board on fifth overall.