Thunder Draft Rewind: Sam Presti Adds Three Major Contributors in 2013
After a quiet couple of years, Sam Presti got back into his bag as the Oklahoma City Thunder had a nice 2013 NBA Draft.
OKC ended up with a trio of prospects, including Presti making a nice trade to land a future starter.
First, the Thunder took a raw prospect from New Zealand in center Steven Adams with the No. 12-overall pick.
Adams spent seven years in Oklahoma City where he developed into one of the better centers in the league, all while becoming a fan favorite for his laid back personality.
Playing just 14.8 minutes per game in his rookie season, Adams grew to be the anchor of the Thunder defense while also adding to his offensive game.
In 2018 and 2019, Adams averaged 13.9 points per game, a career high for the Kiwi.
But as the Thunder entered their rebuild, a player like Adams didn’t make much sense to carry onto the roster. He was dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans in a four-team trade, with OKC receiving a future first round pick, two future second round picks, George Hill, Darius Miller and Kenrich Williams most notably.
Later in the first round, Presti selected Archie Goodwin with the 29th pick, who was then traded for defensive stopper Andre Roberson.
Andre Roberson was an elite wing defender, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2017
Kevin C. Cox / Pool Photo
Roberson held down a spot in Oklahoma City’s starting lineup as he tuned out to be one of the premier wing defenders in the league. An offensive liability, Roberson had to continue to play his elite defense, but maintained his status as a starter for the Thunder until the 2017-18 season.
In a road visit to Detroit, Roberson ruptured his patellar tendon in his left knee, kicking off a long rehabilitation process.
He didn’t return to the floor in an NBA game until the Orlando Bubble restart in 2020.
At the conclusion of the 2020 season, Roberson entered free agency. He briefly appeared for the Brooklyn Nets last season, but only appeared in five games.
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Finally, Presti drafted Spanish scorer Alex Abrines with the No. 32 pick early in the second round.
Abrines didn’t make the trip across the pond until the 2016-2017 season, but he brought a scoring punch off the bench. In 15.5 minutes of action per game as a rookie, Abrines averaged 6.0 points per game, hitting 38.1 percent of his attempts from 3-point range.
Alex Abrines was a fan favorite off the bench in his three seasons for the Oklahoma City Thunder
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The Spaniard was waived by the Thunder on Feb. 9, 2019, and he agreed to a deal to return to FC Barcelona in July of 2019.
While no members of the class of 2013 remain on the Oklahoma City roster, the draft can only be seen as a success as all three players played significant minutes for the franchise.
