NBA Mock Draft: Thunder Select French Wing Prospect

On Monday, ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel released a new mock draft that slotted French wing Bilal Coulibaly to the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 12th overall pick.

Coulibaly currently plays for Metropolitans 92, the same French club as this year's projected No. 1 pick, Victor Wembanyama. Coulibaly and Wembanyama have led their team all the way to their league finals, and are currently battling for the LNB title.

Coulibaly is known for his defensive acumen, as well as being a gifted athlete with a good wingspan at only 18-years-old.

The 6-foot-6 wing has had multiple rumors link him to OKC. Most recently, Thunder General Manager Sam Presti was reportedly in France getting a look at Coulibaly.

Sam Presti esteve na França, acompanhando a final entre Metropolitans e Monaco, provavelmente com intuito de observar Bilal Coulibaly.

Recentemente saiu um report que alguma franquia presente na loteria havia prometido escolhe-lo nessa posição.

Vazou nossa escolha? Caso raro. pic.twitter.com/ofqJozKRnA
— 🌩️ (@hoopbridges) June 11, 2023

Last week, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report said that a team in the lottery has made a draft promise to Coulibaly, leaving many to wonder if Oklahoma City has its eyes on the talented Frenchman at pick No. 12.

According to Tankathon, Coulibaly played 37 games this season averaging 11.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 52.8% from the field and 35.4% from 3-point range.

A few weeks ago, Wembanyama advocated for his teammate to be a top five pick, saying via Twitter, "By now, everyone knows he deserves to be top 10. But not enough realize he deserves to be top 5."

By now, everyone knows he deserves to be top 10. But not enough realize he deserves to be top 5 🤫 https://t.co/xmBexcuQgc
— Wemby (@wemby) June 4, 2023

After trading pick No. 37 to Denver last week, OKC's only second round pick in 2023 will be pick No. 50. In Siegel's mock draft, the Thunder selected former 5-star prospect Amari Bailey from UCLA.

Coming out of high school, Bailey was a McDonald's All-American and one of the top 10 recruits in his high school class. As a freshman with the Bruins, the Chicago native averaged 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

At 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds, Bailey is a great vertical athlete, who is not afraid to rise up and throw down a poster dunk when appropriate. After what many saw as a lackluster freshman season for the Sierra Canyon (CA) product, Bailey had a very solid showing in the NCAA tournament.

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