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.
OKC Thunder NBA Draft prospect option to select 6th – Jonathan Kuminga
Every front office executive will tell you they’ll take the best player/talent available but that’s not always the case especially the further down the board you get. That’s when teams will begin to consider positional needs more heavily.
In the case of the OKC Thunder, they’re more likely to stick with the best talent given their timeline to rebuild. That said, the current roster is guard-heavy with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Theo Maledon, Kemba Walker, and Luguentz Dort. Of that quartet, the belief is two are part of the core (SGA, Dort).
So while Presti wouldn’t ignore a top guard (Cunningham would be grabbed in a hot second) once the draft moves past the quartet there are players who might be considered interchangeable.
With that, the first player Intentions is looking more closely at is 6’7″ forward Jonathan Kuminga. For much of the season, Kuminga was firmly entrenched on most big boards as a consensus top-five draft pick. But an uneven season with the G-League Elite has some waffling on his draft position.
Unlike some of the clubs picking ahead of the Thunder his raw, undeveloped talent isn’t an issue for OKC. Their rebuild timeline means they can afford to draft the 18-year-old and patiently invest in developing him.
His stats with the G-League Elite were 15.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steal in his 13 games. Kuminga has plenty of potential and upside but shooting is an issue. His splits in those matches were 38.7 percent from the field 24.6 percent from deep and 62.5 percent from the line.
The youngster would benefit from a great development staff like the Thunder who could find a way to unleash his athleticism on the defensive side of the court.
OKC Thunder NBA Draft prospect option to select 6th – Scottie Barnes
Another forward to consider is Scottie Barnes. The 6’8″ forward played his college ball at Florida State and is 19 years old.
Like Kuminga there is a high ceiling for Barnes and enough weaknesses in his fundamental skills that need time to develop. He fits the trend of physical, athletic wing defenders who need work on their shot that Presti has loved to draft.
More importantly, with Mark Daigneault pushing the positionless scheme, Barnes fits the mold particularly defensively where he legitimately can guard one through five. Offensively, however, his skill set isn’t as advanced. In his lone season at Florida he averaged 10.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.5 steals through 24 games.
As a high-energy player with defensive acumen, and passing skills he would fit the scheme, and his age fits the timeline.
The question is whether Presti wants to invest in yet another wing that struggles to shoot from the perimeter (27.5 percent) or if he’d rather look at another option who has that skill set.
OKC Thunder NBA Draft prospect option to select 6th – Franz Wagner
Although Keon Johnson and James Bouknight will get plenty of shine as the sixth selection – another player to consider is Michigan forward Franz Wagner.
Whereas Kuminga and Barnes each have pronounced shortcomings that will require work in the development stage Wagner already demonstrates two-way ability. In two seasons with Michigan the 19-year-old experienced growth and offered legitimate two-way ability. He averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game this season.
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Unlike the prior two candidates, he can spread the court hitting his perimeter shots both as a spot-up shooter or off the dribble. His playmaking improved in his sophomore season and at 6’9″ offers size with the tools and ability to fill up the stat sheet on the glass and help with playmaking.
Wagner is a high I.Q. player who has natural instincts defensively. At 19 he fits the timeline and although he’s not likely to become an All-Star talent he’ll fit in as a role player and if he projects to the comparison the Ringer offered (Danilo Gallinari) we’ve already seen how effective a player of that skillset works in OKC.
Ultimately, there will be several options for Sam Presti to choose from with the sixth pick but the bigger question will be whether he tries to move up. That seems very likely given the six picks this season and another 32 in the next six seasons which is a ton of leverage to put together a package.