NBA Mock Draft: Thunder Fill Much-Needed Wing Position
The 2021 NBA Draft will be a pivotal event for the direction of the Thunder franchise. With the potential of having up to two top-five picks, the way the chips fall could expedite OKC’s rebuild exponentially.
On Friday, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic released his latest mock draft, laying the foundation for how the 2021 NBA Draft could unfold.
While we still won't know where Oklahoma City's first round picks will fall for quite some time, it's still interesting to see where these prospects sit in each tier of the draft. Nearly every draft expert around the world has their top-five prospects roughly the same. However, from there, pick No. 6 to the end of the lottery could see a variety of different outcomes.
With the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery taking place on June 22, the Thunder could end up with two top-five picks, zero top-five picks, or anywhere in-between. Nonetheless, let's take a look at the lottery (picks 1-13) within Vecenie’s recent mock draft and who is projected to be taken near the Thunder's potential picks.
| Team | Player | College |
|---|---|---|
1. HOU | Cade Cunningham | Oklahoma State |
2. MIN | Jalen Suggs | Gonzaga |
3. DET | Evan Mobley | USC |
4. ORL | Jalen Green | G League Ignite |
5. CLE | Jonathan Kuminga | G League Ignite |
6. OKC | Scottie Barnes | Florida State |
7. SAC | Keon Johnson | Tennessee |
8. ORL | Moses Moody | Arkansas |
9. TOR | Davion Mitchell | Baylor |
10. NOP | Josh Giddey | International |
11. IND | Franz Wagner | Michigan |
12. WAS | Kai Jones | Texas |
13. GSW | James Bouknight | Connecticut |
READ MORE:
Tracking OKC's likely draft picks
Thunder continue to improve lottery odds
Since the March trade deadline, the Thunder have only won two contests. This brings them to a record of 21-48 with three games remaining. The 2021 class is absolutely loaded with top-end talent, meaning Oklahoma City will have a good shot at selecting at least one player who will be a long-term starter.
