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Imagine if Thunder or Spurs added 1 of NBA draft’s best defensive players to loaded rosters
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- Imagine if Thunder or Spurs added 1 of NBA draft’s best defensive players to loaded rosters
Imagine if Thunder or Spurs added 1 of NBA draft’s best defensive players to loaded rosters appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The NBA first round has been wildly entertaining , with the only two teams avoiding going to at least a Game 6 in their playoff series being the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs . This should perhaps come as no surprise, considering that the Thunder and Spurs finished the 2025-26 regular season with the two best records in the NBA.
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After the two teams (likely) duke it out in the playoffs this year, the Thunder and Spurs will both have opportunities to get better through the draft, holding better picks than their records would indicate due to previous trades with other teams.
Recently, mock drafts from The Athletic and ESPN had the Thunder and Spurs circling around the same player : defensive specialist Morez Johnson Jr. out of Michigan.
“Johnson was one of my favorite players in college basketball. He was one of the most efficient players in the country,” wrote Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, who had the Thunder taking Johnson at 17 with a pick from the Philadelphia 76ers . “…He’s tremendous as a post defender, flying around in help and showcasing switchability on the perimeter.”
Meanwhile, Jeremy Woo of ESPN projected the Spurs to take Johnson at 20 due to a trade with the Atlanta Hawks .
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“Johnson will have a chance to capitalize on his role in Michigan’s title run, with his physical style of play and defensive versatility holding long-term NBA appeal,” wrote Woo, referring to Johnson as “a glue-guy candidate for teams looking to get more athletic up front.”
It’s unlikely that Johnson would see many minutes next year on either Oklahoma City or San Antonio , considering that both teams figure to be right back in the title mix in 2026-27 and beyond. Still, he’d clearly be an intriguing young talent to add to the stable for both organizations, especially as the NBA salary cap rules start coming down hard on them moving forward.
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