OKC Thunder: 3 reasons why James Bouknight is the right pick

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James Bouknight #2 of the Connecticut Huskies OKC Thunder (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

Finding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s co-star is the top priority for the OKC Thunder

The OKC Thunder are on the hunt for the running mate next to rising star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. It only took 105 games as a member of the Thunder for SGA to raise his game to the point where everyone is comfortable calling him a number one option on an eventually championship-level team, and he is still getting better.

The hard part now for Sam Presti becoming finding someone to be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s running mate and co-star, who fits the timeline. No, that does not mean age-wise, contrary to popular belief Bouknight nearing 21 years old has no impact on the Thunder’s evaluation of him. It is not about age for this timeline, it is about contract control.

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No one is more controllable than a player you select in the NBA Draft, acquiring them on their rookie deals, so finding the player to pair with SGA coming via the draft would be huge for this rebuild.

Of all the players who could realistically go at six (James Bouknight, Jonathan Kuminga, and Scottie Barnes), Bouknight has the best chance to become a number two scoring option and a star in this league.

The case is simple, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being your lead facilitator and having a pure bucket getter like Bouknight in the backcourt to help him carry the load offensively sounds great on paper. While Kuminga could have a Kawhi Leonard-type ceiling, it is highly unlikely he reaches that, as most players fall short of their ceiling. Scottie Barnes is a big guard that can not shoot from the line or beyond the arc and really only thrives as a playmaker and defender. Did you watch these NBA Playoffs? Does that sound familiar? Is he who you want to pair with SGA, a player that has been public with his desire to play point guard long-term in this league?

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