Thunder Draft Rewind: Oklahoma City Completes Their Big 3 in 2009
The 2009 NBA Draft cemented Sam Presti’s legacy as an elite talent evaluator in the NBA.
After drafting Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in back-to-back drafts, Presti pulled another rabbit out of his hat, again drafting a sure fire Hall of Famer for Oklahoma City.
With the third overall pick, Presti drafted the services of Arizona State guard James Harden.
The 2009 Pac 10 Player of the Year made an immediate impact in OKC off the bench, averaging 9.9 points per game on 40.3 percent shooting from the field, including an impressive 37.5 percent shooting from 3-point range. Also adding 1.8 assists per game, Harden showed he was adept at running Oklahoma City’s second unit, and flashed the potential to be a player that could eventually help close out games for the Thunder.
His performance as a rookie proved to be just the beginning, and he was named to the All-Rookie Second Team for his efforts.
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In his sophomore season, the franchise took a step forward with Harden at the helm as the Thunder’s sixth man and the third member of OKC’s emerging “Big 3” alongside Durant and Westbrook.
Playing nearly four more minutes per game, Harden improved his scoring output to 12.2 points per game, while improving his field goal percentage to 43.6 percent as the bearded star began to attack the rim more.
Harden would become a bonafide star during his third year in the NBA. Now playing starter minutes, Harden averaged 16.8 points per game, also adding 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game during the 2011-12 season.
His development into a premier scorer in the NBA had many thinking that an NBA title in Oklahoma City was more a matter of when and not if, as Harden was named the Sixth Man of the Year in 2012.
Powering the Thunder past the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs, Harden helped the Thunder reach their first NBA Finals against LeBron James’ Miami Heat.
However, Harden struggled against the Heat as the Thunder lost the Finals in five games.
While Presti has been criticized for his decision to seemingly pay Serge Ibaka instead of Harden, leading to the infamous trade with Houston, there is no doubting just how good of a pick Harden was in the 2009 draft.
Presti also selected Ohio State big man Byron Mullens in the 2009 draft after trading the 25th pick and a second rounder to Dallas, but Mullens failed to make a real impact with the Thunder.
