OKC Thunder: Ringer’s updated mock gives Thunder good haul

The Ringer’s draft expert Kevin O’Connor updated his mock draft and the OKC Thunder came away with a great haul. It also included a few interesting notes about the NBA Draft as we are inside a week away from the event.

Kevin O’Connor, who first linked the OKC Thunder to fan-favorite Aleksej Pokusevski a year ago, already sent a shockwave through the Thunder fanbase with news of OKC’s interest in UConn bucket getter James Bouknight in this draft process.

OKC Thunder gets star potential and offensive help in KOC’s Latest Mock

It is still up for debate if Oklahoma City will pull the trigger on three first-round picks in the NBA Draft. While the Thunder have the roster spots to do so, it is unclear if GM Sam Presti wants to give away guaranteed deals and roster spots to three rookies as you are forced to with first-round selections. However, if they elect to make all three choices this would be a great haul.

The Ringer’s Mock Draft features the OKC Thunder selecting Jonathan Kuminga at pick six, Cameron Thomas at pick 16, and Alprene Sengun at pick 18. This could come as a surprise to my Bouknight Believers out there that have hopped on the Bouknight Bandwagon. Kevin O’Connor reiterates the Thunder’s interest in the Uconn guard even while selecting Kuminga.

With this haul, Sam Presti comes away with a high upside player in Jonathan Kuminga, who could be a two-way star if his career pans out. A special type of athlete that could be best suited for a culture and organization like OKC. At six, Presti taking the biggest upside swing here would make sense.

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After a historically bad offensive season a year ago, OKC would immediately address that at picks 16 and 18 getting two of the top scorers in this class. Cam Thomas is a three-level scorer, shooting the trey ball at a 32-percent clip adding 88-percent from the charity stripe. Thomas poured in 23 points per game and dished out just over an assist per contest.

Alprene Sengun ranks out as the best interior scoring prospect we have seen for a long time. The Thunder’s interest in Sengun is starting to become the worst kept secret of the draft. Sengun is an interesting 18 year old forward that has a collection of post moves that rival that of NBA veterans. With the hopes he can extend his shooting range beyond the arc, it is no surprise to see the OKC Thunder interested in the 6’10 forward.

In this scenario, the OKC Thunder walks away with three of the top ten prospects on my big board, as well as Kevin O’Connor’s big board, without having to trade any additional assets. Considering the bad lottery luck this franchise suffered a month ago, this would be a grade-A outcome.