Thunder Draft: 3 Players to Consider at No. 50
After trading away one of their second-round picks, the Oklahoma City Thunder now have just two selections in the 2023 NBA Draft. The first is in the lottery at No. 12 overall, but then the team will not select again until pick No. 50, in the second round.
Historically, the back half of the second round rarely yields talent that sticks in the NBA. With that in mind, it's still an opportunity to add low-risk talent that fits the system. As such, the Thunder could still have success with their second pick in next week's draft and will have heavily scouted the prospects that are projected to fall in that range.
Let's take a look at three targets for Oklahoma City to consider at No. 50 overall:
Omari Moore (Guard | San Jose State)
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In the modern NBA, positional size is everything. That's exactly what Omari Moore brings, standing at 6-foot-6 and playing guard. He produced 17.4 points, 4.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds per contest as a senior at San Jose State.
Although a streaky shooter, Moore also has touch from beyond the arc. As a junior, he converted on 42.9% of his 2.6 attempts from deep. That efficiency fell off last season as he doubled his volume, but there's still upside as a shooter.
Kobe Brown (Forward | Missouri)
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A former point guard, Kobe Brown is now one of the strongest forwards in this class. He also emerged as one of the country's most efficient 3-point shooters last season, which really catalyzed his offensive impact. Brown finished last season at Missouri averaging 15.8 points and 6.4 boards per contest.
While he is a bit older of a prospect, he has a ton of experience. There's few rookies that are able to impact the NBA game from day one, but Brown could certainly be one of those few.
Mouhamed Gueye (Forward | Washington State)
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If the Thunder are seeking frontcourt size, Mouhamed Gueye would be a great pick at No. 50 overall. He's coming off of a solid sophomore season at Washington State in which he averaged 14.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
A double-double machine, Gueye is nearly a 7-footer with better than a 7-foot-3 wingspan. While the 3-point shot hasn't fully come around, his mechanics are fluid and there's the potential of him expanding his game in the future.
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