Finally! The 2023 NBA Draft has concluded. 58 different players have reached a checkpoint in chasing their hoop dreams of making the NBA, but this is just the beginning of their journeys. After months of prospect deep dives, breakdowns, articles, podcasts, and more, we finally know who will join the OKC Thunder in 2023-2024.
Which three current OKC Thunder players benefit the most from the additions or maybe lack thereof from the 2023 NBA Draft class?
Recapping the Draft:
Cason Wallace
Sam Presti added to his weapons arsenal on Thursday night. The OKC Thunder began the draft night sitting at 12 with all types of prospects mocked to go to Loud City. The Thunder could have sat on their hands for whoever fell to them at 12, but Presti and Co. weren’t satisfied with that and moved up to 10, trading with the Dallas Mavericks to get their guy.
The Thunder added Kentucky guard Cason Wallace into the mix and made him the 9th former Wildcat to play for the Thunder, including guys like Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Hamiduo Diallo, DeAndre Liggins, Nazr Mohammed, Nerlens Noel, Patrick Patterson, and Oklahoma native Daniel Orton.
Wallace is a defensive-minded guard who “has that dog in him” in an accurate way that makes him tough to deal with on both ends. According to Sam Presti, Cason Wallace plays “no agenda basketball,” makes all the tough plays, and does the dirty work most other players won’t bother with.
Standing at 6’2, 195 pounds, and a 6’8 wingspan, Wallace has very similar measurements to current OKC Thunder defensive ace Lu Dort. Cason Wallace is a combo guard who can play on or off the ball, but in most of his minutes with the Thunder, he will likely be playing off the ball to compliment Josh Giddey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Williams.
Keyontae Johnson
Fast forward to the second round, and the Thunder’s number has been called again at 50. Just up the road in Manhattan, Keyontae Johnson was informed that he would join his favorite NBA team. Coming out of Kansas State as a 23-year-old, he won Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in his lone season for the Wildcats. Johnson’s path is a testament to his grit and determination.
The soon-to-be 2-way OKC Thunder guard/forward is most known for collapsing during an NCAA basketball game in 2020. Johnson was later put into a medically induced coma, but that didn’t stop him. He had the opportunity to take a $5 million insurance policy, but he declined, believing in himself and his dream of making the NBA.
Johnson may not be on the Thunder main roster to start the season. Still, if we know anything, it is that this 6’4 bowling ball scoring guard isn’t going to be deterred and will get his chance to fight for minutes on the big stage under Mark Daigneault, who is not afraid to explore his bench and give guys chances.
Aleksej Pokuševski
The tale of Aleksej Pokuševski’s 3rd season is a wild two-sided coin. Surprising many on opening night against the brand new duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, the Thunder went noticeably small in their starting lineup with Kenrich Williams at the four and Aleksej Pokuševski at the five.
Poku began the season on a good note. Through the first 31 games of the season, Poku played some of the best basketball of his young career and even started in 25 of those games. Before his leg injury, Poku was also putting up some really nice box score numbers averaging: 8.8 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, two assists per game, and 1.3 blocks per game which ranks comfortably in the top 10 for the 2022-2023 season.
He also shot much better from the field, increasing his overall field goal percentage from 40.8 percent to 43.4 percent, and his 3-point percentage went up from 29 percent to an above-league average of 36 percent.
Then chaos arrived. On December 28th, 2022, at home against the Spurs, Poku took a hard fall on his left leg and missed roughly two months of games with a non-displaced tibial plateau fracture.
Poku returned for three games but looked like a shell of the guy we saw earlier in the season who was flashing signs of maturity, improvement, growth, and development.
How does Aleksej Pokusevski benefit from the 2023 Thunder draft class?
Many times the best ability you can have is availability and with the Thunder drafting two guards, Cason Wallace and Keyontae Johnson, that helps leave some extra available playing time for Poku.
It has been over-discussed, talked about, stressed over, and more in regard to the Thunder’s roster crunch problem. Luckily for Poku, after this draft, most of the crunch is more on the guard side of the roster.
Although he is versatile, Poku will likely spend most of his minutes at the 4 or 5. The only way for a player as raw as Poku gets better is through in-game reps. Taking minutes away from him so he can primarily work in practice or on the Blue is not very likely to be a successful path for him as he goes into a contract year.
I’m sure on the floor, a steady hand and defender like Cason Wallace should make Poku’s life easier, but among all else, the key for Poku is playing time. Poku, more than anything, benefits from the fact that the forward/big room did not grow and still looks to have a spot for him in the rotation if he can grab it in 2023-2024.
Drafting only guards under 6’5 should help Poku as there is less competition for those 4 and 5 minutes with Dario Saric likely gone, Davis Bertans likely not to play a ton given his contract, and more. Only time will tell, but as we currently stand, Aleksej Pokuševski is definitely a winner coming out of the 2023 NBA Draft for the OKC Thunder.
Ousmane Dieng
It’s time to let Ous loose!
Nearly a year ago to the day, the OKC Thunder traded three first-round picks to move up to 11 in the 2022 NBA Draft. The player they coveted was a 6’10 216 pound forward with all types of guard skills and a sky-high ceiling.
It was far from an easy adjustment for the seventh youngest player in last year’s draft. Dieng definitely took a different path going from playing in his home country of France to New Zealand to play for the Breakers, and finally, his journey led him to Oklahoma City.
Ousmane Dieng had far from a perfect rookie season and was the victim of some unfair comparisons to the guy drafted right after him for the Thunder at 12, Jalen Williams.
Williams was a much more ready-made prospect who hit the ground running. Unfortunately, Dieng dealt with two different wrist injuries to his right arm during the season. This injury derailed many plans and hurt Ousmane Dieng right as he started to catch a rhythm playing at the highest level of basketball.
How does Ousmane Dieng benefit from the 2023 Thunder draft class?
Similarly to Pokusevski, Dieng mainly benefits from the lack of extra competition brought into the 4 and 5 positions for the Thunder. This is not to say the Thunder lack depth in the front court. Chet Holmgren will soak up most of the minutes at either spot. Kenrich Williams was the secret ingredient to a great Thunder stretch of games as a small ball five. Then you also have Arkansas big man Jaylin Williams and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl fighting for minutes.
Believe it or not, developmental prospects like Ousmane Dieng actually need time and minutes to develop! Some players like Jalen Williams are ready out of the box to go and play in the NBA. The Thunder know what they got themselves into and will play the long game in Dieng’s development. As previously mentioned in Poku’s section, bringing in two guards under 6’5 helps Dieng that the Thunder have sort of carved out some minutes for either him or Aleksej Pokusevski to grab.
The OKC Thunder aren’t just setting aside these minutes for either guy with no consequence. Mark Daigneault has proved many times he is not afraid to pull guys. The lack of extra bigs and wings coming into this Thunder roster in 2023-2024 provides a window of opportunity for Ousmane Dieng. Still, it is up to him to grab it and show off his unique potential as a player and why the Thunder were high enough on him to trade three first-round picks to get him.
I am aware that I focused on two bigs as the primary beneficiaries of the OKC Thunder roster after this draft and the addition of two guards. It might sound backward that bringing in a guy similar to Lu Dort could help him, but Cason Wallace can make Lu Dort’s life much easier!
How does Lu Dort benefit from the 2023 Thunder draft class?
Last season Lu Dort averaged a whopping 30.7 minutes per game for the OKC Thunder. That puts Dort easily in the top 100 of minutes per game played out of more than 500 players who got on the court last season.
Just like players, not all minutes are created equally. There is no secret that Lu Dort plays hard. That’s what makes him special as a player and a defender is that he guards guys like he just chugged four Red Bulls on the sideline and smashed that last can on his head before running out.
Still, there is a toll to be paid playing the way Dort does. The amount of minutes he logs while he also is guarding quite literally the best players on the planet every night is going to put some wear and tear on your tires.
In a 10-game stretch last season, Dort guarded Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, Ja Morant, Darius Garland, Tyler Herro, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Damian Lillard for two straight games, Ja Morant again, and finally CJ McCollum. That is a murderous road and has me wanting to take a water break just reading that list.
Enter Cason Wallace.
Already there has been a lot of talk about Wallace being a Dort “replacement.” Sure, it could end up that way, but I see the Kentucky rookie more as Dort’s “insurance.” Mark Daigneault prioritizes point-of-attack defense, and he adds another guy with that unique skillset next to Dort in Wallace.
Lu Dort’s game is predicated on energy, effort, and physicality. All three things are hard to do while gassed and beaten up. Cason Wallace can come in and provide some similar things on defense as Dort if he is gassed, in foul trouble, or whatever the situation is.
Spreading out some of Lu Dort’s minutes might sound counterproductive, but it’s a long season, and these games are a grind. You want Lu Dort to be as fresh and healthy as possible for the full 82, crunch time, and hopefully the postseason.
Competition can breed success, iron sharpens iron, or whatever cliche you want to throw out. The facts are Cason Wallace in particular can be an asset to the team and make Lu Dort’s life easier. You can also play both guys together and put opposing backcourts in a straight jacket for stretches.
Taking some minutes off Dort’s plate and giving them to Wallace is a double investment. You are investing in your top 10 pick and getting him more developmental reps in big-time games. It’s an investment in the long run of the season for Lu Dort, who essentially is going through a crash course of floor dives, monstrous screens, and all types of physicality in every game.
Lu Dort might not like giving up some of his minutes being the competitor that he is, but in the long run, I think that Wallace and Lu Dort can be a really nice 1-2 punch combo that can compliment each other’s game and play alongside each other.