NBA Mock Draft: OKC Thunder Add Two Five-Star Freshman in Top 20

The 2025-26 NBA season is more than halfway complete.

With games paused for the next few days after the All-Star break, teams around the league are gearing up for the postseason. The NBA lottery and combine are each less than three months away, with the draft taking place the following month.

While Oklahoma City is expected to be in the midst of another playoff run at that point, the Thunder will also keep an eye on the predraft events. OKC could land two selections in the top 20 this summer, potentially adding to what is already a deep roster.

In a recent projection, Ricky O'Donnell of SB Nation slotted Arizona freshman Brayden Burries to Oklahoma City at No. 13 overall.

Burries was rated the No. 9 overall player and No. 2 combo guard in the 2025 recruiting class by 247Sports, and has lived up to expectations in his first year with the Wildcats. Through 25 games, the talented guard is averaging 15.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals per contest while shooting 50% from the field and 37.3% from 3-point range, operating as a key piece for one of the best teams in college basketball.

A good scorer, Burries would give the Thunder another ball handler and offensive creator to bolster the team's second unit, which has been left barren due to injuries during the 2025-26 season.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Burries adds more options to the team's arsenal of scoring threats off the bench alongside; Aaron Wiggins, Ajay Mitchell, Isaiah Joe, Jared McCain and others.

At No. 18 overall, O'Donnell paired Houston big man Chris Cenac Jr. with OKC. Another five-star recruit from the 2025 class, Cenac hasn't put up the same head-turning statistics as Burries, but has also been an important part of a premier team in college basketball.

The talented freshman is averaging 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting 50.8% from the field and 37.1% from 3-point range on low volume.

Listed at 6-foot-11 and 240 pounds, Cenac has a long wingspan to go along with his sizable frame, giving the Cougars' standout the potential to be a solid defender at the next level. Despite being the No. 1-rated center in the 2025 cycle by 247Sports, there are areas of his game that still need to be refined.

Regardless of any flaws, though, Cenac's size, length and athleticism would make him an intriguing fit in Oklahoma City's big-man rotation.

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