The 2021 NBA Draft will take place on July 29. As the it approaches, The Game Haus will be doing draft profiles for each NBA team. Each NBA squad will be analyzed, team needs will be addressed and potential targets will be discussed.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the subject of today’s 2021 NBA Draft Profile.
Summary
The Thunder started off their 2020-2021 season by hiring a new coach for the first time since 2014. Billy Donovan parted ways with the Thunder, leading to the hiring of Mark Daigneault. He was previously an assistant of Donovan’s both in Oklahoma City and during his time at the University of Florida. Franchise mainstays Steven Adams and Andre Roberson also parted ways with the team, ushering in a new era for the Thunder.
With a record of 22-50 (second-to-worst in the West), Oklahoma City missed the playoffs for the first time in five seasons and had their first losing record in 11 years. The amount of change within the franchise robbed them of their consistency, but it brought about massive draft assets.
With six picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Thunder could theoretically draft a new starting five and a sixth man. It is heavily rumored that the team will trade some of these draft assets in hopes of a higher pick or players, but this article will assume that trade does not take place. Here is where those picks fall and how they can be used to elevate the Thunder back into the playoffs under their sophomore head coach.
2021 Draft Picks
The Thunder have six picks in the 2021 NBA Draft.
First Round (three picks):
Picks No. 6, 16, and 18
Second Round (three picks):
Pick No. 34, 36, and 55
Team Needs
Scoring: The Thunder finished 28th (third-to-last) in the NBA in scoring with 105 points per game. That has to improve for Oklahoma City to start winning games, hands down.
Floor general: At 22.1 assists per game, the Thunder ranked 27th in the NBA in that category. After losing Chris Paul (who garnered MVP conversation and is currently in the Western Conference Finals at time of writing), the team clearly needs leadership on the floor. Paul led a left-for-dead OKC team to the playoffs in 2020, meaning a bona fide floor general point guard can make all the difference for this team.
Ball-handling/Discipline: OKC also led the league in turnovers, at a whopping 16.1 per game. That is due to a lack of coaching and discipline on the floor. It is also a product of unproductive passing and ball movement. The team needs to find a player that can help limit sloppy play.
Projected Targets
Pick No. 6: Keon Johnson, SG/SF, Tennessee
Johnson is a multi-faceted player who can not only score, but defend at two positions. A combination guard/forward is the kind of player general manager Sam Presti loves to draft and utilize in unique ways, getting the most out of their hybrid nature.
More of a defensive pick than an offensive selection, Johnson plays fantastic on-ball and off-ball defense and could easily take tough assignments right out of the gate. His jump shot needs to improve and he needs to learn to pull up from three-point range more often but Johnson can help usher in a culture change immediately for the Thunder.
Pick No. 16: Jalen Johnson, SF, Duke
Oklahoma City could take two Johnsons back-to-back. This one (Jalen Johnson) is a small forward that can pass like a point guard and rebound like a power forward. That does not stop him from scoring though, as he still averaged in the double-digits in points last year.
The point-forward is becoming the new trend in the NBA and Jalen Johnson plays like one. Also, he could be one of the last players coached by Duke’s Mike Krysewzski to ever enter the NBA Draft, which is an interesting and attractive attribute. Every team could use an athletic wing. The Thunder can get theirs with this pick.
Pick No. 18: Cam Thomas, SG, LSU
Cam Thomas out of LSU loves to fill it up, which is exactly what the Thunder needs. He is a true stop-and-pop or catch-and-shoot scorer that has the ability to average over 35 percent as soon as he takes the stage on draft night.
Averaging only 1.7 turnovers also makes him a good fit, according to the team needs listed above. His ball-handling means that the only way the team is losing a possession when Thomas has the ball is if he misses his shot. His downside is on the defensive side of the ball, but their previous two picks can address that issue.
Pick No. 34: Roko Prkacin, PF, Croatia
After losing their international big man (Steven Adams) before the 2021 season, the team might as well replace him with another.
Prkacin is a prototypical power forward with a better jump shot. Like many international bigs, he was taught to drain shots as well as focus on low post offense. He can serve as a small-ball center while also disgusting himself as third wing player.
At just 18 years old, his biggest draw back (his age), could turn out to be his biggest potential. There are few downsides to picking Prkacin here, apart from questions of NBA-readiness due to his young age.
Pick No. 36: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, PF, Villanova
Here we have anoing forward that shoots a high percentage. Mostly because his buckets come very close to the basket. With their fifth out of six picks (if the Thunder indeed keep all of them), they would just be picking the best player available. Robinson-Earl may fit that mold at pick 36, even though he does not necessarily fit a need past two-point field-goal scoring.
Pick No. 55: John Petty, SG, Alabama
John Petty is a NBA Draft combine standout that will serve as a three-point threat in the NBA. Petty shot over 37 percent from three point land, which is impressive even if the rest of his 2021 stats do not necessarily pop off of the page. Again, the team needs to score a lot more to have a chance to return to the playoffs. Petty can camp out behind the arc and make that happen.
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