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

Much like Masai Ujiri and the Raptors, it won’t be surprising if OKC Thunder magician Sam Presti surprises to make a move up the draft order. The big question is whether any of the teams in the top four spots are willing to collaborate on a trade.

Both the Cavaliers and Raptors are in play and if you believe Chad Ford so are the Rockets. I simply can’t fathom why the Thunder would be afraid to pay Shai Gilgeous-Alexander when they have so much salary space and he’s a proven talent with the perfect character for this new ear Thunder (plus he likes being in OKC).

Since this mock doesn’t include trades I’ll stick to the plan and go with James Bouknight. I do think it’s more likely Presti will package the 16th and 18th picks anyway.

First I love the fit of Bouknight with SGA and he’s a player Presti liked last year prior to him electing to return to college for another year. The obvious is the guard offers the one thing OKC needs more than anything – – a consistent scorer to help SGA.

With SGA wanting to be the primary playmaker the concerns over Bouknight’s lack of assists don’t bother me. Besides, it’s not like he had a plethora of offensive-minded teammates who could convert on his passes at UConn. Still, I think his playmaking is better than advertised and when he’s paired beside SGA playing Daigneault’s system it should equate to success.

Bouknight is athletic, versatile offensively, has good length and again, the prospect of SGA and him together feels like a match made in heaven. I could wax on but instead, check out Rylan Stiles’ great article outlining three reasons why the Brooklyn native is a great fit with this OKC Thunder roster.

Prior to moving ahead – I will state Presti pulls off the magic trick to move up my favorite player in terms of fit with SGA is Evan Mobley.