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OKC Thunder draft picks: Grades for Nikola Topic, Dillon Jones in 2024 NBA Draft
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- OKC Thunder draft picks: Grades for Nikola Topic, Dillon Jones in 2024 NBA Draft
The Oklahoma City Thunder selected three players in the 2024 NBA Draft .
OKC selected Nikola Topic and Dillon Jones with the No. 12 pick and No. 26 pick, respectively, on Wednesday.
Topic is a 6-6 guard who averaged 15.1 points and 5.9 assists in 18 combined games this past season with Mega MIS and Crvena Zvezda, two teams in Serbia's KLS. Meanwhile, Jones is a 6-5 forward who averaged 20.8 points and 9.8 rebounds as a junior at Weber State.
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OKC then traded into the second round on Thursday to select UC Santa Barbara's Ajay Mitchell with the No. 38 pick. The 6-3 guard averaged 20 points and four assists while shooting 39.3% from deep as a junior this past season.
Here's a breakdown of OKC's draftees and grades for the selections.
More: 2024 NBA Draft tracker: OKC Thunder picks Serbian guard Nikola Topic 12th overall
OKC Thunder 2024 NBA Draft picks
More: Mussatto: OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti left breadcrumbs with NBA Draft pick Nikola Topic
First round, No. 12 overall | Nikola Topic , G, Serbia
Topic was projected by many mock drafts to be a top-five talent, but his stock fell earlier this month when he suffered a partially torn ACL. There's a chance he'll miss all of next season as a result.
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But time is on the side of OKC, which already boasts one of the best young cores in the league and is poised to contend for a title next season.
Topic could also be worth the wait. The oversized guard is one of the best passers in his class, and he's a crafty finisher around the rim. He could certainly fit in with OKC and take some of the ball handling pressure off of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander .
Topic does have areas of his game that he'll have to improve on, though. He shot 29.6% from deep this past season and was equally inconsistent on defense.
If that sounds familiar, Josh Giddey faced the same problems this past postseason with the Thunder. The third-year guard ultimately got traded to Chicago for Alex Caruso on Thursday.
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Still, I'd argue that Topic has more upside than Giddey in both the shooting and defensive department. Topic was the best available prospect for OKC at No. 12. And with so much talent already on the roster, it was in a position to take a risk with this selection.
Grade:B+
More: Who is Nikola Topic? Meet new OKC Thunder guard, No. 12 pick in NBA Draft
First round, No. 26 overall | Dillon Jones , F, Weber State
Jones wasn't a green room invite on Wednesday, and most sites projected him to be a second-round talent.
But OKC traded up to select Jones with the No. 26 pick. It sent five future second-round picks that span from 2025-27 to New York.
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Jones is a 6-5 forward with remarkable strength, which he uses to finish around the rim and crash the glass. And while he's only a career 32% 3-point shooter and an average athlete, the 22-year-old prospect is a proven scorer who could eventually produce off the bench for OKC.
Is Jones worth five future second-round picks? Would he have fallen to the second round? Who knows.
But for an OKC team that has a wealth of draft capital at its disposal, it can't be faulted too much for packaging some of them to get their guy.
Grade:C+
More: OKC Thunder adds Ajay Mitchell via trade with Knicks 38th in 2024 NBA Draft, per report
Mar 17, 2023; Denver, CO, USA; UC Santa Barbara Gauchos guard Ajay Mitchell (13) signals to teammates during the first half against Baylor Bears in the first round of the 2023 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ciaglo-USA TODAY Sports
Second round, No. 38 overall | Ajay Mitchell , G, UC Santa Barbara
The Thunder remained active during the second round on Thursday.
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OKC sent Lindy Waters III to Golden State for the No. 52 pick , which it sent to Portland along with cash in exchange for the No. 40 pick. The Thunder then traded the No. 40 pick and cash to New York in exchange for the No. 38 pick, which it used to select Mitchell.
Just like Jones, Mitchell is a 22-year-old prospect from a mid-major program. He's a crafty finisher around the rim who can also create for others, and he became even more of an offensive threat this past season when his 3-point shooting improved from 26.7% to 39.3%.
Defensively, Mitchell doesn't have the best speed or athleticism. But he still uses a strong motor to hold his own on that side of the ball.
Mitchell figures to be a two-way player who'll spend most of next season with the OKC Blue, the Thunder's G League affiliate. If his improved 3-point shooting is legit, he could eventually carve out a role in the NBA.
Grade:B-
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder draft picks: Grades for selections in 2024 NBA Draft
