The 2024 NBA Draft is a mere days away, and all eyes are on the OKC Thunder as fans and pundits alike wait for word on what the club's plans might be.
In possession of the 12 overall selection thanks to the 2019 Russell Westbrook blockbuster trade with the Houston Rockets, the reigning top seed in the Western Conference standings has an opportunity to add on yet another lottery talent to their already astounding collection of ballers.
Realistic moves Thunder could make with No. 12 pick in NBA Draft
Of course, considering they find themselves in a quasi-win now mode after claiming their first playoff series win since the Kevin Durant era, how Sam Presti and company plan to utilize said asset is truly anyone's guess at this moment in time.
The way things currently stand with the organization, there seem to be a few rather realistic courses of action the Thunder could make when it relates to their No. 12 pick.
Move No. 1) Thunder keep pick as is, draft based on necessity
Considering the Thunder already have an abundance of top-billed stars and budding studs within their arsenal and, in turn, could afford to wait on a prospect to develop over time, one could make a strong argument that they are in a prime position to take a high-upside youngster with their 12 overall pick instead of opting for the "safe" choice of selecting based off of current needs.
However, with this year's draft being classified as astoundingly weak, there don't appear to be many individuals outside of the top five that project to be star-caliber talents, which, in turn, could make OKC's decision to go down the aforementioned safe route all the more plausible.
As things currently stand, the Thunder find themselves with a few key glaring weaknesses within their rotation, with the most prominent being their lack of size, rebounders, and long-range snipers.
This last one may be a bit surprising for some to hear considering they're coming off a 2023-24 campaign where they ranked number one in three-point percentage (38.9), but they did so on a rather pedestrian 34.2 attempts per game (ranked 16 in the league).
Zach Edey's first basket of the night doesn't happen without the Stretch Armstrong rebound. 😲@zach_edey x @BoilerBall
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 24, 2024
💻: Peacock pic.twitter.com/ahLJgyW5i2
Based on current projections, there are likely to be several players, in particular, who could help boost their status and productivity in these areas, with Purdue's Zach Edey (size and rebounding) and Kentucky's Rob Dillingham (floor spacing) both being names worthy of keeping an eye on should Oklahoma City stand pat at 12.