Jean Montero Provides High Risk, High Reward at Pick 30
Jean Montero is perhaps the most interesting prospect in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Montero, a native of the Dominican Republic, became the first international player to sign with the new Overtime Elite league. Instead of continuing playing for the Spanish ABA team Gran Canaria or even attending college, he signed with Overtime Elite to further his development.
Montero, a 6-foot-2 guard, has been making waves in the international basketball circuit since he was 13-years-old. In his final season with Gran Canaria on the third division team, he averaged 18 points per game. He also has experience on the Gran Canaria first division team and playing with the Dominican national team.
At OTE, he scored nearly 17 points per game and grabbed nearly eight rebounds per game.
Despite being just 18-years-old Montero is an eye-opening prospect who continues to turn the heads of NBA front-office officials. Despite his success, the lack of film makes him one of the most mysterious prospects in the draft. However, his ceiling of being a lead guard has NBA teams in awe.
Montero is a projected late-first-round pick in this year's draft, around the 25-30 area, which is down from his projected 17th position prior to signing with OTE. Despite that, his speed, ball-handling, finishing, and passing abilities provide upside that would be hard for any team to pass on.
Like many of the guards transitioning to the NBA, Montero’s defense needs some work, but his offensive skill set offsets that. Most mock drafts have him heading to a contender where he can play bench minutes while continuing to develop his defense.
However, with the Thunder sitting at No. 30, if Montero slides down to the position, the Thunder could use their third first-rounder on the tantalizing prospect. With the starting lineup already solidified with guards, the Thunder provides Montero a chance to come off the bench with limited pressure on the 18-year-old while he continues his development.
With the Thunder holding two lottery selections using pick No. 30 on a project prospect could make sense with the Thunder having the chance to completely alter their rebuild trajectory toward contending.
Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
