3 Draft prospects OKC Thunder should’ve selected in 2021

No. 3 available prospect for OKC Thunder: Jalen Johnson

Jalen Johnson is a 6-foot-9, 210 pound forward that can play the guard position. This former Duke Blue Devil is extraordinarily active and looks like he will fare well with the Atlanta Hawks.

Let’s see how Johnson would have fit in with this young OKC Thunder nucleus.

At the 20th pick, he was a steal, and in my opinion, I would have taken a flyer on Johnson over Tre Mann just because of how loaded the OKC Thunder are at the guard position. I believe there are ten guards, including Mann, on the roster, and I understand that Johnson is also a guard, but he is a guard/forward, which fits the Thunder idea of playing positionless basketball.

Again, this is nothing against Tre Mann, but at 6-foot-3, 178 pounds, I think I would take the long, athletic combo guard in that situation in Jalen Johnson.

Johnson already has all the intangibles, but his upside seems to be promising.

Let’s take a look at this clip from a Jalen Johnson workout this summer.

In my opinion, Johnson would have been a great selection, and I love that he made the All-Summer League First Team. Look out for Johnson to be a significant asset for Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks.

In Closing:

More from Thunderous Intentions

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• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

I am not highly disappointed with any OKC Thunder draft picks this year, but I believe the makeup of the current Thunder roster would have benefitted from these picks outlined above.

I still have questions about Giddey and SGA sharing the court and how that will impact player development. Maybe Giddey and SGA alternate positions at times. I am only guessing at this point since I have no clue what is going on in Sam Presti’s mind.

However, I think that Sengun would have been an asset to this roster, and it is baffling that OKC let him go for more picks.

Jalen Johnson is just a freak athlete that Presti & Co. undoubtedly take a chance on at that point in the draft, no questions asked.

Nonetheless, the future is promising for this young Thunder team. Now fans must sit and wait, hoping these recent picks pay off!