Who should the OKC Thunder pick in the 2024 NBA Draft?
Who should the OKC Thunder pick in the 2024 NBA Draft? Here are the top five candidates.
The OKC Thunder knows how to find talent towards the end of the NBA Draft lottery.
It’s a spot OKC has been in for each of the last two drafts. The Thunder selected Jalen Williams with the No. 12 overall pick in 2022, and it landed Cason Wallace with the No. 10 pick in 2023.
OKC now has the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, which is scheduled for June 26-27 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. And it’ll look to find another hidden gem to add to its treasure trove of young players.
Who will that be? Here’s who OKC is projected to select based off mock drafts from various outlets:
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Who is the OKC Thunder projected to pick in the 2024 NBA Draft?
ESPN: Nikola Topic, Serbia
- Jonathan Givony writes: “With a roster flush with talent at every position, it might make sense for the Thunder to consider drafting Topic, who was widely considered a top-5 prospect prior to suffering a knee injury. Oklahoma City can afford to redshirt Topic next season, extend Josh Giddey at a palatable number and then slide a healthy Topic (the two share plenty of similarities) into Giddey’s place if they eventually need to move the Australian due to luxury tax concerns.”
CBS Sports: Cody Williams, Colorado
- Cameron Salerno writes: “Williams to the Thunder makes sense for a multitude of reasons. The obvious one is his older brother, Jalen Williams, is a rising star on the Thunder. The other is that he could be the best two-way wing in the class. The Thunder have a treasure chest of future picks, and drafting a player who once had buzz as a potential No. 1 overall pick is tremendous value at the end of the lottery.”
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The Ringer: Zach Edey, Purdue
- Kevin O’Connor writes: “Edey addresses Oklahoma City’s need for size and adds a totally different interior ingredient to their offense with his interior scoring, offensive rebounding, and screening. And if there’s anyone who can turn Edey’s touch around the basket into reliable 3-point shooting, it’s assistant coach Chip Engelland.”
Bleacher Report: Tidjane Salaun, France
- Jonathan Wasserman writes: “(Salaun) will have a chance to rise higher over the next few weeks with a tempting combo of big-man size, shotmaking and athleticism for defense and finishing. Salaun, who made an impressive 74 threes as a 6’9″ 18-year-old, continued to show NBA teams his shooting range. Though his handle and self-creation remain limited, he’s still finding ways to earn easy baskets from off the ball, tapping into his size and motor.”
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