NBA Draft: Potential Second Round Steals for OKC Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder will have huge decisions to make next week during 2021 NBA Draft. While they're look to select a franchise-altering player at No. 6 overall, they've also got five other picks to use as well.
Owners of the No. 34 and No. 36 overall picks the upcoming draft, the Thunder could strike gold. There's always a handful of guys in the second round that turn out to be steals at their draft position.
With two top-five picks in the second round, OKC has a real chance at landing a quality NBA player in round two. Let's take a look at a handful of players who could make an impact at the next level in the second round.
Josh Primo (Alabama)
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A 6-foot-6 guard, Primo made the SEC All-Freshman team in his lone college season. Converting on 38.1 percent of his threes, Primo may not be more than a shooter early in his NBA career, but would still be worth a look early in the second round as the youngest player in the draft.
A versatile defender in college, he has the size to adapt to the NBA game and become a solid defender at that level. Primo was a great rebounding guard at Alabama, but only dished out 25 assists all season, meaning his overall playmaking could use some work.
Miles McBride (West Virginia)
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A two-year college player from the Big 12 Conference, McBride is undersized but a major scoring threat at 6-foot-2. He averaged 15.9 points and 4.8 assists per game his sophomore season while shooting 41.4 percent from deep.
Not many college players average nearly five assists per game, let alone while shooting that well from beyond the arc. McBride’s ceiling probably isn’t high enough to go in the first round, but could be a solid pick in round two as a bench scorer in the NBA.
Brandon Boston Jr. (Kentucky)
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Boston Jr. came into his freshman season at Kentucky as the seventh-best recruit in the country. Although things gradually got better throughout the season, his overall body of work in college was extremely disappointing relative to what was expected.
Regardless, he’s got too much potential and upside to go beyond the first few picks in the second round if he does actually fall that far. The 6-foot-7 guard shot just 30 percent from beyond the arc and 35.5 percent from the floor as a whole at Kentucky. If he’s going to turn things around in the NBA, he’ll need to get much more consistent and add some weight to his thin 185 pound frame.
Josh Christopher (Arizona State)
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Christopher was the highest recruit since James Harden to attend Arizona State. One of the top-15 players in the country coming out of high school, he averaged 14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game as a freshman.
Although he has good size as a 6-foot-5 guard, he will need to improve upon his 30.5 percent shooting from deep if he’s going to make a major impact at the next level. Christopher has so much upside as a playmaker as well as the ability to play on or off the ball, making him a plug-and-play prospect.
Jaden Springer (Tennessee)
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With Tennessee having two prospects slated to be taken in the first forty picks of the upcoming draft, Springer hasn't gotten as much attention as he deserves. While he certainly could be taken in the first round, he would an absolute steal if he fell to the second round with everything he brings to the table.
With his defensive upside and a solid jumper, Springer could become a coveted 3-and-D player in the NBA. Although his offensive game could use some polishing, he could be a project that pays off for the right team.
