During his end-of-season press conference, OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti was coy about his team's plans for the upcoming draft. But to those who have been paying close enough attention this offseason, his strategy couldn't be more obvious.
Among the prospects OKC has held pre-draft workouts for are Yaxel Lendeborg, Zuby Ejiofor, Alex Karaban, and Graham Ike.
With these invitations, there is a clear profile Presti and company are looking for: savvy, physical forwards who enter the league with years of experience under their belt.
With a backcourt headed by superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC has no shortage of quick-twitch guards who excel at defending the perimeter.
It was close to the rim, however, where they were brutally exposed in their Western Conference Finals loss to the Spurs. Namely, Chet Holmgren, who was bullied on both sides of the ball by just about every player on San Antonio's roster.
Thunder know their biggest future threat and are actively planning for it
It seems as if the Thunder are well aware of who their biggest threat is moving forward. With this, it would be a direct contradiction to what Sam Presti said to reporters on Monday, when he explained how little sense it makes to build a team around one opponent.
It's an unavoidable dilemma. The San Antonio Spurs were not only the Western Conference Champions this season, but also the youngest team to reach the NBA Finals in nearly 50 years.
Victor Wembanyama created a major schematic problem that coach Mark Daigneault, for once in his career, didn't have an answer for.
With a core group of young superstars, they actively represent OKC's biggest threat for the foreseeable future.
Now, it appears the staff in Bricktown is trying to shore up this roster hole through the draft. Even most of the non-upperclassmen the Thunder have evaluated are forwards. Young players like Jayden Quaintance, Morez Johnson, and Allen Graves are all big bodies who could hold their ground if tasked with guarding a player like Victor Wembanyama
Holmgren likely isn't going anywhere, and for good reason. He pulled his weight in every leg of the season but the Conference Finals. However, while he continues to add muscle and develop, Presti has recognized his need for help down low.
Using one of the Thunder's three picks this year could surely address that.
Fans shouldn't be surprised when OKC calls upon one of the aforementioned names come late June. In fact, they should be elated.
With more physicality around the rim, the Thunder will have shored up the one flaw that plagued them in crunch time. If the pick works out, a rematch between the two Western Conference juggernauts feels inevitable.
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