NBA Mock Draft: Thunder Select 2023 National Champion

In a recent mock draft, OKC added a collegiate sharpshooter and national champion to its roster.

In his most recent mock draft, USA Today's Bryan Kalbrosky slotted Connecticut wing Jordan Hawkins, Tennessee freshman Julian Phillips and Indiana veteran Trayce Jackson-Davis to Oklahoma City. This prediction comes two months after Hawkins helped lead the Huskies to a 76-59 victory over San Diego State in the final game of the NCAA tournament. 

With the Thunder's first selection in Kalbrosky's mock draft, the USA Today writer predicted the team would draft Hawkins with the No. 12 pick. The UConn product averaged 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.7 steals per game while shooting 40.9% from the field and 38.8% from beyond the arc (7.6 attempts per game) as a sophomore in 2022-23. 

Coming out of high school, the sharpshooter was ranked as the No. 51 overall prospect in the country by the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Hawkins shooting prowess and size make him intriguing as a potential draft target for OKC, especially when considering these are two attributes general manager Sam Presti seemingly covets in a prospect.

 Another encouraging aspect of Hawkins' game was the large improvement he showed from his freshman to sophomore year. In his second season with the Huskies, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard averaged over 10 more points and almost two more rebounds than he did in his first year on campus. 

A native of Gaithersburg, Maryland, Hawkins attended DeMatha Catholic High School before choosing the Huskies. Victor Oladipo, Jerami Grant, Markelle Fultz and Hunter Dickinson all are products of DeMatha Catholic, among others. 

With Oklahoma City's first selection in the second round of this mock draft, the team picked Tennessee freshman Julian Phillips. Phillips was a five star prospect coming out of high school less than a year ago, attending the prestigious Link Academy in Branson, Missouri. 

At Link Academy, the 6-foot-8 wing earned himself five-star status, being honored as the No. 15 recruit in the 2022 class according to the 247Sports composite. As a freshman at Tennessee, Phillips averaged 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 41.1% from the field and 23.9% from beyond the arc. 

In high school, Phillips was compared to Corey Brewer by 247Sports' Director of Basketball Scouting Jerry Meyer.

With the Thunder's second and final selection in the second round of Kalbrosky's prediction, the team walked away with collegiate star Trayce Jackson-Davis. In his senior year this season at Indiana, the 6-foot-9 forward put up a whopping 20.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, four assists and 2.9 blocks per game, earning the Indiana native consensus All-American honors. 

Jackson-Davis' versatility makes him a good fit with OKC, as he can pass the ball out of the post and block shots down low. 

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