NBA Mock Draft: Thunder Select Sharpshooter in Lottery

In a recent mock draft written by Kyle Irving of Sporting News, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Connecticut wing Jordan Hawkins with the 12th overall pick.

Hawkins was a potential target for OKC in mock drafts earlier in the year, but lottery buzz has largely died down for the reigning national champion. In Irving's prediction, however, the Thunder grabbed Hawkins over Bilal Coulibaly, Cason Wallace and Kobe Bufkin.

As a sophomore this season at UConn, Hawkins averaged 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 38.8% from 3-point range on over 7.5 attempts per game. The Gaithersburg, MD, native picked up All-Big East, NCAA All-Region and NCAA All-Tournament honors while helping lead the Huskies to their fifth title in 25 years this season.

Coming out of DeMatha Catholic High School (MD), Hawkins was a 4-star recruit, rated No. 51 in the 2021 class according to the 247Sports Composite ranking. At 21-years-old, the former Huskie fits perfectly with OKC's timeline but theoretically can contribute right away if his 3-point shot translates to the NBA.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds, Hawkins is also big enough for his position to entice Thunder GM Sam Presti. Many scouts, however, have noted Hawkins' lack of production inside the arc, citing this as one of the biggest flaws in his game.

With the 50th pick, Irving slotted Arkansas wing Ricky Council IV to Oklahoma City. Council just finished his junior year with the Razorbacks, helping lead the team to a berth in the Sweet 16.

After spending the first two years of his career at Wichita State, Council averaged 16.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game in his lone season at Arkansas. Listed at 6-foot-6, the Durham, NC, native has the positional size that Presti covets on the wing, and could provide another athletic option for the Thunder on the perimeter.

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