NBA Mock Draft: OKC Thunder Add Trio of Freshman in Recent Projection

The Oklahoma City Thunder are off to one of the best starts in NBA history.

Holding a 23-1 record to begin the 2025-26 season, OKC is just the third team to ever reach that mark, joining the 1969-70 New York Knicks and the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. This comes on the heels of a 68-win regular season in 2024-25 that resulted in the Thunder taking home the franchise's first NBA title.

Even with all the team's recent success, though, Oklahoma City still has the ability to add even more depth to its roster over the summer with potentially three first-round picks in the 2026 NBA Draft.

This is an extremely unique position for a team that could be in the midst of a dynasty, especially with a general manager in Sam Presti who has been solid in the draft.

Recently, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic published a new mock draft slotting a trio of intriguing freshman to OKC.

At No. 6 overall, Vecenie paired Tennessee star Nate Ament with the Thunder.

Listed at 6-foot-10 and 207 pounds, Ament was ranked the No. 4 overall prospect and No. 2 power forward in the 2025 recruiting class by 247Sports. In his first 10 games with the Volunteers, Ament is averaging 16.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 37.4% from the field and 28.9% from beyond the arc.

While Ament's shooting splits aren't eye-popping, the young forward clearly has impressive size and the potential to develop into a player who would fit in OKC's system.

At No. 14, Vecenie paired Washington freshman Hannes Steinbach with the Thunder.

Hailing from Wuerzburg, Germany, Steinback was rated the No. 68 overall prospect and No. 7 center in the 2025 recuriting class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. So far, though, Steinbach has outperformed his rating as a recruit.

Listed at 6-foot-11, Steinbach is averaging 18.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and a block per game while shooting 63.1% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc on low volume. While Steinbach's numbers will likely dip as the season progresses, he has shown a solid all-around game that would fit well in OKC.

Finally, Vecenie slotted Alabama's Amari Allen to Oklahoma City at No. 27 overall.

Like Steinbach, Allen was rated as a four-star prospect coming out of high school, but has played his role well on a strong Crimson Tide squad. In nine appeareances and three starts, Allen is averaging 10.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 46.7% from the field and 36.1% from beyond the arc.

Listed at 6-foot-8 and 205 pounds, Allen also has good size on the wing to accompany his versatility.

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