Oklahoma City will have the opportunity to add youthful talent to cover several holes on their roster this offseason thanks to their three first-round picks in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Sam Vecenie, senior writer for The Athletic NBA Draft, released a fresh mock draft on Tuesday morning, selecting three players who caught his eye for Oklahoma City.
Initially, Vecenie selected Duke centre Kyle Filipowski with the Thunder at pick No. 9 overall.The Rockets’ selection in the 2024 draft is now owned by Sam Presti and company thanks to a previous transaction between OKC and Houston.
A few draft experts have ranked Filipowski as the No. 4 player in the nation coming out of high school, and because of his potential to fit in Mark Daigneault’s system, they have assigned him to Thunder.
Despite his size, Filipowski possesses the passing sense and touch from outside the area that Oklahoma City appears to crave in all of its players. The gifted sophomore, who stands 7 feet tall and weighs 248 pounds, is averaging 17 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game this year.
Given his stature and skill set, Filipowski might be a terrific fit to play next to Chet Holmgren or as a big man backup to keep the Thunder’s offence rolling when Holmgren isn’t playing.
Furthermore, Filipowski weighs 40 pounds more than Holmgren and is therefore more capable of handling some of the larger centres, whose bulk and strength could provide a challenge to the 208-pounder.
The 18-year-old French wing Tidjane Salaun was assigned to OKC by Vecenie at No. 12. This choice was given to Presti in a previous deal with the Utah Jazz.
Salaun, who is 6-foot-9 and weighs 200 pounds, is a strong defender who can play the wing position due to his size. The Espoirs Cholet standout is averaging 9.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game in 38 games this season.
Salaun has the qualities that Presti and colleagues appear to seek in a young draft prospect, even though his numbers aren’t very impressive. Salaun recently defeated Strasbourg, finishing with a game total of 12 points, 10 rebounds, and four 3-pointers made.
Although Salaun, an 18-year-old prospect, still needs to improve his consistency from the outside, this performance gives an excellent idea of what he can do in the appropriate environment at the NBA level.
Ultimately, Ulrich Chomche was selected by Vecenie to Oklahoma City at No. 26 overall using the Thunder’s own selection.
Chomche, an 18-year-old Cameroonian, is listed at 6-foot-11 with a wingspan of 7 feet 4 inches.
In three Basketball Africa League qualification games, Chomche, who played for NBA Africa Academy, averaged 13 points, nine rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.7 blocks, and 1.3 steals.
The gifted prospect, who weighs 220 pounds, has the bulk and agility to establish himself as a reliable big man in the NBA. Additionally, Chomche shot 38.1% from three point range in three qualifying contests this season.
The 6-foot-11 18-year-old will be even more valuable coming into this summer’s NBA Draft if he can maintain a respectable rate of outside shooting.
Chomche appears to be the kind of player that Presti and Daigneault would like to select in the draft because of his size, length, strong defensive skills, and potential to be a reliable 3-point shooter.
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