2024 NBA Mock Draft: Kentucky Star Guard Lands With OKC Thunder

There is no wrong answer for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2024 NBA Draft. Why? Because they're coming off a 57-25 season as the top seed in the Western Conference. They're ready to win now, and who they select with the No. 12 pick can't necessarily hurt the team.

Different NBA mock drafts and analysts have the Thunder going in a wide range of directions with the pick, with some projecting the team to gear toward a traditional center, some with the team selecting a sharpshooting guard or even a versatile wing.

In Bleacher Report's most recent mock draft, the team selects Kentucky Wildcats guard Rob Dillingham at pick No. 12. The 6-foot-1 guard is entering the NBA after his freshman season in Lexington.

Dillingham is an incredible talent. He averaged 15.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest in 32 games played as a freshman. The Kentucky star shot 48 percent from the field and 44 percent on 3-pointers. While he might be undersized, the talent is undeniable.

"Admittedly, the Thunder probably aren't heading into the draft with hopes of snatching up a 6'1", 164-pound guard. Still, the great front offices will pounce on a favorable situation when they can, and Rob Dillingham falling to No. 12 would qualify," Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley wrote.

The Kentucky product has the opportunity to become a microwave scorer at the next level. He appeared in 32 games while sporting a Wildcats jersey, earning just one start in that time. Coming off the bench and providing a spark isn't foreign to him.

"...if Dillingham's lack of size scares off those would-be suitors, Oklahoma City might be glad to snatch up a spark-plug scorer who shows the kind of creativity this club sometimes struggled to find from players not named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander," Buckley continued.

In the playoffs, Gilgeous-Alexander didn't have much help offensively, whether it be floor spacing or shot creation. Dillingham could help bring that to Oklahoma City in a unique role off the bench.

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