What if the OKC Thunder nailed every draft pick since 2011?
By Rylan Stiles
The OKC Thunder miss on the perfect role player while swinging for Terrance Ferguson.
With the 21st pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected a local product, Terrance Ferguson. The Tulsa native that skipped college never panned out in the NBA. He showed some flashes as a three-and-D player during his run with OKC but could never put it all together.
Meanwhile, just a few picks later, the team up North selected the perfect complimentary player. With the 23rd pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors picked up OG Anunoby from Indiana University. Anunoby was vital in the Raptors’ 2019 Title run, a 2022-23 All-Defensive team member, and even led the league in steals this season. Shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc for his career, his defensive versatility makes him a perfect match for the OKC Thunder past and present.
Even placing this selection in a vacuum with everything leading up to this pick remaining the same, Oklahoma City could have added OG Anunoby to an incredible roster. Headlined by Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Steven Adams, Jerami Grant, Andre Roberson, Nick Collison, and Raymond Felton, Anunoby filling in the slot Ferguson leaves behind would have made this team a genuine championship contender even after Roberson’s devastating injury.
Not to mention if you go back in time to fix all the other draft misses since the 2011 Draft. This is the most painful miss because of what it would have meant in the short term and the ripple effects it would have sent through the NBA and the Thunder.