Tankathon Mock Draft: Thunder Take Unconventional Route
Oklahoma City bolstered it’s defense even more with two defensive-minded draftees in the most recent Tankathon Mock Draft.
With the 2022 NBA Draft on the horizon, the Thunder are again looking to add premier pieces to its growing core.
This season, Oklahoma City was fortunate to land a second lottery pick at the hands of the Pelicans, who ousted the Clippers in the Western Conference play-in game.
OKC currently holds the fourth and twelfth best odds, and will look to continue bolstering its roster in hopes for future success.
Here is a randomly generated mock draft presented via Tankathon:
The Result
The Picks
No. 1 Magic: Jabari Smith Jr., Auburn
No. 2 Pistons: Paolo Banchero, Duke
No. 3 Knicks: Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga
No. 4 Thunder: Jaden Ivey, Purdue
No. 5 Rockets: Keegan Murray, Iowa
No. 6 Pacers: Jalen Duren, Memphis
No. 7 Trail Blazers: Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona
No. 8 Kings: AJ Griffin, Duke
No. 9 Pelicans: Johnny Davis, Wisconsin
No. 10 Spurs: Shaedon Sharpe, Kentucky
No. 11 Wizards: Tari Eason, LSU
No. 12 Thunder: Mark Williams, Duke
No. 13 Hornets: Jeremy Sochan, Baylor
No. 14 Cavaliers: Dyson Daniels, G-League Ignite
The Rationale
Just four days out from the lottery, InsideTheThunder.com’s Tankathon series is officially wrapping up.
In the most recent spin, Oklahoma City finally stayed pat at No. 4 and selected Purdue’s Jaden Ivey. While they’d likely try to package some picks and move up, it wouldn’t be that big of a stretch for the Thunder and general manager Sam Presti to take Ivey.
OKC still isn’t in position to pass on the best available player, and that’s Ivey at No. 4. Plus, Presti valued Russell Westbrook, who may be one of the closer comparisons to Ivey.
The Knicks jumped up to No. 3 and grabbed defensive anchor and potentially generational center Chet Holmgren.
The Pelicans added Johnny Davis to learn from CJ McCollum for a few seasons, and the Spurs took a flyer on Shaedon Sharpe of Kentucky.
With another guard added at No. 4, OKC had the green light with the twelfth pick to finally take a true starting center. Mark Williams is an intelligent glass cleaner with solid instincts all over the court.
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