OKC Thunder drop out of top-5 in latest NBA Mock Draft
By Mark Nilon
Though they may have gotten off to a slow start to their full-fledged rebuild this past campaign, finding themselves in and out of the play-in tournament picture through the first half of action, once the injury bug started to chomp down on key players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the coaching staff opted to bench Al Horford, it was evident that the tank came into full effect during half number two.
Because of this, through 72 games, Oklahoma City managed to finish with the fourth-worst record on the year at 22-50.
On the surface, this may appear as though the Thunder failed to succeed in 2020-21, but this couldn’t be further from the truth, as this rebuilding organization now finds itself in possession of the fourth-best odds of landing the top slot in this year’s NBA Draft, and a 52.5 percent chance of nabbing a top-five pick on the night.
In the majority of mocks written up recently, we’ve been seeing Sam Presti and co. on the board anywhere from first to fourth overall and, in turn, have managed to nab themselves some serious top-tier talent.
While this is the consensus belief that the OKC Thunder will fall into such a range, Bleacher Report recently posted a mock where the team lands outside of the top-five where, at sixth overall, they go on to select Tennessee wing, Keon Johnson.
Citing his raw potential and the fact that Oklahoma City is far away from contending anyway, writer Jonathan Wasserman believes that the 19-year-old would be an ideal selection for the franchise at this point in the draft:
"His stats will come later as he builds on the flashes of post scoring and tougher shot-making he showed in February and March. In the short term, Johnson would earn minutes with his ability to apply pressure as a slasher and defender.Early on, he’d focus on transition offense, driving, ball-moving and defense until his handle and shooting catch up. He’s raw offensively at 19 years old, but Johnson can still make an impact—similar to the way Patrick Williams did this season in Chicago—with his tools, athleticism and developing skill in an off-ball role."
While we’re still holding out hope that the OKC Thunder will land the No. 1 pick or, at least one within the first five, should they fall out of such an area, they’ll still likely be able to bring on a high-quality prospect.
At sixth overall, Wasserman believes Keon Johnson would be a solid grab.