Thunder Prospect Evaluation: Vit Krejci
Vit Krejci was taken with the 37th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, later becoming a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. They made a trade with the Washington Wizards to acquire the jumbo guard’s draft rights.
Krejci stands at 6-foot-8 but has the ability to play three different positions. With his long frame, he fits exactly what the Thunder are looking for with their positionless roster.
Perhaps the most raw prospect on the entire roster, Krejci is somewhat of an unknown.
As each player in this series is evaluated, it’s important to consider the prospect they are now, but more importantly how they could look in five years when the Thunder are a competitive playoff team once again.
Last Season’s Numbers
The Czech guard didn’t play basketball last season due to rehabilitating a major ACL injury. He suffered this during the 2019-20 season while playing overseas in Spain.
In that season in which he got hurt, Krejci ultimately played in 37 games with Casademont Zaragoza. Over the course of that season, he averaged 3.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game while shooting 55.4 percent from the floor. While these numbers aren’t all that impressive, it’s important to keep in mind he only played 9.2 minutes per contest.
Krejci was technically rostered on the Oklahoma City Blue during the 2020-21 season, but didn’t play in a single game with his injury.
Fit On Current Roster
Krejci will enter his rookie season as a 21-year-old NBA player. With that in mind, he’s still extremely inexperienced, even relative to his young Thunder teammates.
Until the season starts to unfold, it won’t be clear what Krejci’s role is. Additionally, it’s unclear how much time he will spend with the Thunder and how often he plays down in the G League with the Blue.
Last month, Krejci attended NBA Summer League with the team as he began to form off the court relationships with his teammates. While he didn’t play as he’s in the final stages of his knee recovery, being around his teammates was key for chemistry reasons.
Long-Term Fit
Oklahoma City hopes that Krejci ends up being a draft steal. After making a trade to acquire him in the 2020 NBA Draft, many thought it was a strange move. Most of the top draft analysts didn’t even see Krejci as someone who should have been drafted at all.
Thunder GM Sam Presti is known for finding a diamond in the rough. Could Krejci be the next draft steal?
With his versatility at 6-foot-8, he’ll have the opportunity to work his way into the rotation at several positions. While expectations shouldn’t be high early on, Krejci will be a fun long-term project for the Thunder to develop.
Prospect Grade
B-
Krejci might be the most unknown player on the entire Thunder roster. With that in mind, that makes him an even more interesting prospect as he could become any type of player.
What is known is that he has the size and guard skills to be a mismatch on offense.
With plenty of opportunity with both the Thunder and Blue, Krejci will quickly showcase his skills at the next level. In a season that’s more about development than winning games, he’s in the perfect situation.
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