Looking Forward: Are the OKC Thunder Still a Lottery Team in 2023-24?

Despite a decent placing in the Western Conference last season, expectations still aren’t high for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

At least not according to some professional media.

In its latest league-wide analysis, Bleacher Report identified it’s 2024 lottery order and expected mock draft featuring G League Ignite standout Ron Holland.

Holland was drafted No. 1 overall in the site’s rankings, but while that may not have been a surprise, seeing the Thunder present at all certainly was, as Oklahoma City fell to No. 14 overall.

“To take another step forward, OKC may need extra three-point shooting from Williams and Holmgren, plus a sophomore breakout from 2022 lottery pick Ousmane Dieng, another summer-league standout for the Thunder,” Bleacher Report wrote of coach Mark Daigneault’s squad. “Incredibly young and loaded with future draft picks, it's still all about the long-term picture for Oklahoma City.”

Long-term picture, simply put, means that Oklahoma City still had a ways to go before being true NBA Finals contenders. Despite having a plethora of talent, youth will still play a factor in the Thunder’s overall success … though how far — or not far — it goes next season remains to be seen.

That being said, if the Thunder does fall into the NBA Draft Lottery at the end of the season, who would be lined up on the draft board?

While Holland will not be available that late in the draft, there is a case to be made for another upcoming prospect: UCLA’s Aday Mara.

“UCLA pulled Mara from Spain,” Bleacher Report wrote. He'd been in the draft scouting discussion for a few years before elevating his status further this summer at the U18 European Championships, where he averaged 14.0 points, 9.1 boards, 2.3 assists and 2.7 blocks per game.”

The site added: “[Mara] is highly skilled at 7'3", with vertical pop for finishing and excellent touch and passing instincts.

Aday Mara touch pic.twitter.com/zFtJldt8lO
— Matt Powers (@DraftPow) September 3, 2023

Sound familiar? In this scenario, Chet Holmgren would gain another companion in the clouds — and if he’s anything like the Thunder rookie, Holmgren won’t have a hard time mentioning him.

Mara is a promising talent with still a lot of room to grow, but he brings both offense and defense to the table — only adding to his extensive scouting report.

Obviously, there are still a lot of unknowns regarding Oklahoma City’s future, but of course, that doesn’t stop the rumors from flying already.

And if Mara continues to impress during his freshman season with the Bruins, there certainly will be a market for him — and the Thunder likely would not be opposed to bringing him on.

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