OKC Thunder select two in second round of NBA Draft

The OKC Thunder stumbled into the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft, with fan’s heads still spinning from shocking moves at six, a puzzling trade at 16, and an undervalued guard at 18, we hardly had time to catch our breaths.

Almost the moment Mark Tatum came out for the second round of the draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder made a trade. A move that sent the 34th and 36th selections to the New York Knicks for the 32nd pick (Jeremiah Robinson-Earl) in return.

OKC Thunder add two in the second round

The Thunder pick up one of TI’s underrated prospects, and get involved in the seemingly annual “Villanova classic.” Jeremiah Robinson-Earl mainly fell due to his age, already being 20 years old, turning 21 a month into his rookie season, there are not many knocks on the Kansas City native.

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The Nova product does just about everything at a good clip but lacks that true elite trait. Robinson-Earl has 3-and-D potential with a little improvement on both ends of the floor. JRE is a good shot creator, high-level rebounder, great cutter, and switchable defender. He fits the mold of what Mark Daigneault looks for in young players.

After trading the 34th and 36th overall selection in the NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder were left with the 55th overall pick in the draft. The team elected to go with Aaron Wiggins, who was in one of the last rounds of workouts in Oklahoma City. Wiggins went to dinner with Jaylen Hoard during his visit and obviously impressed Thunder staffers.

Like JRE, Wiggins has 3-and-D potential. The Maryland product shot 35-percent from beyond the arc, while hauling in nearly six rebounds a contest, dishing out nearly 3 assists, and posting 14 points per clash. He can defender nearly 1-5 and has a hustle and motor that will be unmatched. The NBA Summer League will be big for him in defining his contract status with the team.

The second-round rookies can either be given fully guaranteed deals or two-way contracts. I would expect both Robinson-Earl and Wiggins to crack the Thunder roster this offseason.

The next stop for Oklahoma City is the undrafted free agent market, then Vegas for the Summer League.