It is extremely poetic that the NBA Draft is taking place just days after the Oklahoma City Thunder hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy. No general manager can contend with Sam Presti's collection of draft hits and he seems well on his way to assembling another strong class.
The party continued on Thursday when the Thunder selected Northwestern wing Brooks Barnhizer with the No. 44 pick. Barnhizer had a foot injury that derailed the end of his final season with the Wildcats, but this is your typical Sam Presti pick.
ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony calls Barnhizer a "glue-guy who produces rebounds, blocks, steals and assists at a strong rate." That was on full display this past season when he averaged 14.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
Thunder continue excellent draft with Brooks Barnhizer pick in second round
Barnhizer did not shoot with great efficiency in college (just 41.5% from the field in four seasons), but he is an excellent defender. That will be his calling card in the Association. He can be a regular starter if he develops his three-point shooting, but he will have no problem slotting into Mark Daigneault's rotation regardless.
While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holgren were all lottery picks, OKC has several players on the roster who were either second round picks or went undrafted and were major x-factors on this year's championship team.
Isaiah Harenstein and Aaron Wiggins were both second-round picks, while Alex Caruso and Luguentz Dort were undrafted free agents. Caruso and Dort were often the Thunder's second-most important player during their title run. Neither player is known for their offense.
Presti had a lot to live up to after he selected Georgetown center Thomas Sorber with the No. 15 overall pick. The former Hoya has all the tools to succeed as a traditional big. As a freshman, he posted 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.
Who knows? Presti is so good at this he may view Sorber as a potential replacement for Isaiah Hartenstein, whose 2026-27 player option aligns with when Oklahoma City will (probably) be paying Jalen Williams and Chet Holgrem a lot of money. But we'll cross that bridge when the time comes.
The best part about the Thunder is that Sorber and Barnhizer can develop on their own timelines. While more will be expected of Sorber in year one, all of Daigneault's rotation players are under contract.
The rich continue to get richer in OKC.