The Oklahoma City Thunder captured their first championship of the Sooner State era with a near entirely homegrown team. Of the 15 main roster players, 10 have spent their entire career with the franchise, either being drafted or signed as an undrafted free agent.
Throughout Sam Presti's reign, the strategy for this ball club has remained pretty much the same – spend one first on a high potential player and another on one with a high floor.
Primary examples of this approach in effect include Nikola Topic (high potential) and Dillon Jones (high floor) in 2024, and Ousmane Dieng (high potential) and Jalen Williams (high floor) in 2022.
The Thunder have a strong case for being the deepest team in the league. Heck, guys like Isaiah Joe and Jaylin Williams didn't log many minutes in the 2025 NBA Finals despite being players who could realistically start on many other teams around the league.
Given their depth, Oklahoma City once again has the flexibility to take a swing on a prospect who may not be able to contribute strong minutes immediately, but has the potential to pay off down the line.
As things currently stand, heading into Wednesday's NBA Draft, the Thunder hold the rights to the 15, 24, and 44 overall picks. Of course, based on their history of making moves on the night of the illustrious event (at least one trade in each draft since 2019), there's a chance that Presti and company could be gearing up to make a last-second splash.
Recent reports suggest that the Thunder could make a move into the top 10 of this year's draft, maintaining an aggressive mindset fueled by a war chest of future-focused capital.
Whether Oklahoma City stays at 15 or moves up, here are a few high-potential prospects they may target.
Noa Essengue, F -- Ratiopharm Ulm
Noa Essengue has generated lottery, and, in some cases, even top 10 buzz as the draft process has moved along. The 18-year-old Frenchman spent the past season with Ratiopharm Ulm alongside fellow draft prospect Ben Saraf, and drew attention from scouts due to his jumbo frame, rim-attacking, and defensive traits.
He stands at 6-foot-10 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan and averaged 12.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.4 steals on 56.0 percent shooting from the field in 2024-25.
As a result of his streaky jumper and loose handles, questions about his offense translating have regularly been raised throughout the months leading into the draft. However, Essengue has plenty of time to develop those under the Thunder coaching staff, and most notably Chip Engelland, who helped Luguentz Dort improve to a 41.2 percent three-point shooter.
Think of Noa Essengue as a second chance to get the Dieng pick right, something Sam Presti should certainly be eager to do.
Cedric Coward, F -- Washington State
Cedric Coward played just six career games at a high-major Division 1 level as a result of a torn shoulder labrum in his first season with Washington State. In that short span, however, he averaged 17.7 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 55.7/40/83.9 shooting splits.
His late rise in the draft process is similar to Jalen Williams' back in 2022, both shot up to lottery-bound projections in the days before the festivities despite having questions of going in the first round just a couple of months before.
When it comes to star potential, Coward has just as much as any other prospect in his class. He fits the mold of a traditional Thunder target, as he holds a 7-foot-2 wingspan along with a capable handle and deep shooting range, traits that often contradict each other.
Since Coward has little experience against high-level competition, he can sit behind their current crop of forwards and spend most of his rookie campaign in the G League with the Oklahoma City Blue as he figures out his game in the pros.
Carter Bryant, F -- University of Arizona
Carter Bryant spent his one-and-done freshman season with the Arizona Wildcats in a condensed role, playing just 19.3 minutes per game. Despite this, he managed to show enough flashes on both sides of the ball to warrant consideration as a lottery selection with the hopes of developing into a long-term project.
While his offensive game is raw, particularly needing improvement in his handle and decision-making, he excels in transition, utilizing his athleticism. At the NBA Combine, Bryant ran a 3.07 3/4 court sprint and recorded a max vertical of 39.5 inches. Those measurements, combined with a 37.1 percent three-point conversion rate, make him an interesting fit for a Thunder squad that forces historic amounts of turnovers and runs in transition often.
Speaking of which, Bryant also averaged 1.9 stocks per game and was a very active defender in both passing lanes and help-side. His game may not be ready to contribute right away, but a four-year rookie contract would give him ample time to turn into a positive player down the line.