OKC Thunder: 3 options for pick No. 6 after NBA Draft Lottery
Since season end, the OKC Thunder had anxiously awaited the NBA Draft Lottery. Having won the coin toss versus the Cleveland Cavaliers they entered Tuesday evening with the fourth-best odds to win the top pick in the 2021 draft.
The other bit of business that needed to be cleared up is the draft pick swap. OKC knew they would either be taking the Rockets or Heat’s selection but the former had a 1-4 protection.
The hope was the Rockets would fall to fifth and the Thunder would nab two high lottery picks and like all the participants had their sights set on winning that top draft pick.
Although the Thunder had the fourth-best odds to get that top pick Tankathon gave them the best chance of getting the sixth pick which is where the ping pong balls fell. Nor did the basketball Gods smile upon them when it came to the Rockets who landed the second pick meaning they’ll retain their selection.
That means OKC will select sixth, 16th, and 18th in the first round as well 34th, 36th, and 55th in the second round. The good luck charms didn’t produce the desired takeaway, however, OKC will make 10 percent of the picks in this draft — the most by any team.
3 prospects OKC Thunder should consider with their sixth pick
It’s commonly believed there is a top-four (or five) in this class all of whom could become generational talents. Cade Cunningham was considered the definitive top draft pick but now that Troy Weaver and the Pistons are making the selection he could surprise. Weaver stated they have a group of five they’ll consider equally and they’ve let it be known Jalen Green is a player that impresses them.
Joining Cunningham and Green in the top group are Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs. Each draft typically experiences shifts on the board, but this season this quartet seems cemented.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll spend time diving deeper into the prospects and the potential for Sam Presti to package picks to move up.
Today, we’ll stick with the current situation and examine three players who should get long hard looks for the sixth selection.