Mock Draft Madness: Which prospects are the OKC Thunder taking?
By Rylan Stiles
NBA Mock Draft round-ups and grades:
Bleacher Report: A surprising first-round pick.
The latest Bleacher Report mock draft has the Oklahoma City Thunder selecting Kobe Bufkin as the 14th overall pick out of the University of Michigan. This alarming pick lands at a D- at best, with Bufkin ahead of Jett Howard, Kris Murray, and Rayan Rupert. However, BR made up for it by gifting the Thunder Sidy Cissoko in the second round, with the 38th overall pick, who I have a first-round grade on.
Overall Grade: C-, dramatically helped out by the steal of a second-round pick.
SB Nation: A more realistic outcome
During their first-round-only mock draft, SB Nation tabbed Rayan Rupert as the pick for the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 14th selection in the draft. Although Rupert is a prime Presti selection, the 6’7 NBL star will be a 19-year-old rookie offering upside in the late lottery or mid-first-round come June’s draft.
The hang-up with selecting the NBL star is his lack of three-point shooting, though he does shoot an encouraging 73 percent at the line, and his overall decision-making might not fit in a Mark Daigneault offense.
The dramatic positive would be Rayan Rupert’s defensive efforts, with an ability to find a role offensively in the NBA.
The issue with Rayan Rupert is, what if he does pan out? His ceiling is likely a switchable defender that can catch and shoot offensively, which will take some successful development from Chip Engelland and the OKC Thunder.
Overall Grade: C+, high-risk for a relatively low reward.