OKC Thunder 2021 NBA Mock Draft – the new era reformulation begins

I’m dropping Keon Johnson in this spot based on the positive feedback he received from the OKC Thunder. It’s important to note I don’t believe this 16th pick will be headed to the Thunder. Rather I expect Sam Presti to pair this pick with the 18th in order to move up the board and select a second prospect from the top 10.

The hype on Keon Johnson centers on the work he put in since the college season ended. That’s an important factor as franchises know he’ll be a gym rat spending time in the lab to improve in the necessary areas.

Like many OKC wingmen before him, he falls under the prototypical Presti blueprint of being able to jump out of the gym but struggle shooting, particularly from distance.  Last season he shot an anemic 27.1 percent from deep but was decent from the charity stripe (70.3 percent). Typically success from the free-throw line equates to the ability to expand the range.

As I noted in his prospect profile:

"Teams will like his overall makeup of athleticism, a strong motor, natural raw talent, and a high I.Q.  The latter is most obvious in his ability on the defensive end of the court and how quickly he’s growing despite his limited years in the sport."

What isn’t debatable is his athleticism and raw potential. Defensively, he’s already above average and with patience projects to be elite.  Johnson got a late start to the sport so he’s behind his peers experience-wise but skews ahead of many when it comes to work ethic and commitment to improving.

Again, I don’t anticipate Presti will make this pick, but should that prediction prove incorrect, Keon Johnson is the type of player worth taking the risk on.