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Mussatto: Don't be surprised if OKC Thunder, Sam Presti take another NBA Draft swing
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- Mussatto: Don't be surprised if OKC Thunder, Sam Presti take another NBA Draft swing
If ever there was a year for the Thunder to draft a readymade player, it's this one.
Fresh off a 57-win season and a Round 2 playoff exit, Oklahoma City has the No. 12 pick , via Houston , in the 2024 NBA Draft.
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OKC has the rare chance to add a lottery pick to an already stacked roster. One that's ready to contend for an NBA title. It's time for general manager Sam Presti to address a specific need, to value floor over ceiling, experience over youth, production over potential.
But who are we kidding? That's not the Thunder way. At least it hasn't been.
Maybe this is the year when Presti, a baseball man at heart, will try to line a sharp single to center field rather than swinging for the second deck. Count me as skeptical.
I wouldn't be surprised if Presti swerved and drafted a project. If this draft is as bad as the experts are telling us, there's no such thing as a sure thing. Especially late in the lottery. What are the odds of the Thunder's No. 12 pick cracking the rotation as a rookie?
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Low, right, so why not take a risk? It's the lottery after all. If the pick busts, fine. The Thunder is in an ideal spot anyway. But if it hits … the rich get richer.
Now for some names who might be worthy of a Stantonian swing.
Could I interest you in Tidjane Salaun? The Athletic's Sam Vecenie wrote this of the 18-year-old, 6-foot-9 French forward : "Salaun won't be for everyone. Teams with strong developmental track records who are willing to put in multiple years of effort could come away with a terrific player down the road. Just don't expect immediate results in his rookie season."
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Sounds a lot like Ousmane Dieng . But as they say, why settle for one French project when you could have two?
Dieng, the G League Finals MVP, just turned 21. He played sparingly in his first two Thunder seasons with little production. Dieng could still develop into a real player. Unlikely, but possible. It's more likely he's a cautionary tale — of how hard it is to develop a project on a contending team.
That's the conundrum to consider with Cody Williams , Nikola Topic and Johnny Furphy .
All, to varying degrees, are considered raw. Raw, but with high upsides.
More: How OKC Thunder's previous NBA Draft picks, trades have aged
Tidjane Salaun, who last played for Cholet Basket in the LNB Pro A, speaks to the press during a press preview for the 78th edition of the NBA's annual draft at the Lotte New York Palace in New York, on June 25, 2024. The draft will be held June 26 and June 27, 2024. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Cody Williams, of course, is the younger brother of Thunder wing Jalen Williams .
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Cody Williams was a much more heralded prospect than his brother. Cody was the highest-ranked recruit in Colorado history while Jalen was a three-year player at Santa Clara.
While Jalen Williams was a late bloomer, he was NBA ready. Cody, a lanky 19-year-old, not so much. ESPN analyst Jeremy Woo wrote that Williams "will need time to actualize his skill set but could pay dividends over time as a player who was once viewed by some teams as a candidate for No. 1."
Topic is a 6-foot-6 Serbian guard who's yet to turn 19. He's recovering from a partially torn ACL, which might lead him to slip to the Thunder's range. On a team like the Thunder, there would be no need for Topic to rush through his rehab process.
Furphy, an Aussie forward who went one-and-done at Kansas, might be a little rich for the No. 12 pick, but he's another developmental project that could pay off. The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor wrote that Furphy was one of the biggest risers of the pre-draft process. A "skilled shooter with the upside to be a constant presence on the perimeter," O'Connor wrote.
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Who knows where any of these names rank on the Thunder's big board.
Maybe Presti will draft an older player. A 22-year-old guard in Devin Carter from Providence. Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht , who's already 23. Or Colorado forward Tristan da Silva , also 23.
Maybe Presti will target a big man like Purdue's Zach Edey, Dayton's DaRon Holmes or Indiana 's Kel'el Ware.
More: NBA mock draft roundup 2024: Who will OKC Thunder pick at No. 12?
European standout Nikola Topic could be available for the Thunder with the No. 12 pick.
There's a good chance we haven't even mentioned the player Presti will draft.
Prospects often fit within a combination of categories. Take Cason Wallace . The Thunder guard was ready to contribute, more so than any of us could've guessed. He played in all 82 games. But that doesn't mean Wallace is a finished product.
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Jalen Williams was a high-upside play, though not a traditional one given his age.
Aleksej Pokusevski was the definition of a home run swing. Despite having an ideal developmental environment, Pokusevski didn't work out in OKC for a number of reasons.
Turns out the draft isn't an exact science. Trying to predict the Thunder's pick is a fool's errand.
Just when it looks like the Thunder should favor floor over ceiling, don't be surprised if Presti takes one of his patented draft swings.
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com . Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com .
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NBA Draft
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First round: 7 p.m. Wednesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn , N.Y. (ABC, ESPN)
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Second round: 3 p.m. Thursday at ESPN's Seaport District Studios in New York (ESPN)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder, Sam Presti could take another home run swing in NBA Draft
