OKC Thunder: How 6 top draft prospects compliment Gilgeous-Alexander
By Levi Convirs
Jonathan Kuminga
Kuminga may be the most polarizing prospect in the draft. Some view him as a franchise-changing wing that simply needs development time, Others feel he’ll never develop a reliable enough jump shot to complement the truly amazing athleticism he’ll certainly bring to the table.
While there are no sure things in the draft, I tend to lean on the former viewpoint. From where I sit, it seems Kuminga’s falling in some eyes is tied to Barnes’ rise up the board.
As recent as the Draft Lottery, there seemed to be a consensus top five, with Kuminga ranking at least fifth in most eyes. It’s important to note that Kuminga hasn’t got worse since the lottery. If anything he should have alleviated at least some concerns by shooting the ball well at his Pro Day.
Obviously, Kuminga doesn’t fit like a glove alongside SGA like the first three players on this list. But if he develops as hoped, he projects to be a cornerstone wing whose athletic ability and shot creation can take a lot of pressure off Gilgeous-Alexander offensively.
His development would also fit the Thunder’s timeline in building around SGA. Yes, it’s crazy to even consider trading SGA due to the timing of the rebuild, but it’s perfectly natural to consider that with a top draft prospect.
And Kuminga, if he reaches his ceiling, would give the Thunder another franchise talent to go with SGA for at least the next decade.
Likelihood OKC Thunder draft prospect:
It’s looking more and more likely Kuminga will be available when the OKC Thunder pick at six, which would have had many OKC fans celebrating following the lottery results.