Grading OKC Thunder's No. 44 Pick Brooks Barnhizer

Draft day is always full of surprises, especially when you cover the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Entering day two, the Thunder owned pick No. 44 in the second round of this year's draft. It felt like everything was on the table. Trading up, out, or back, nothing that Sam Presti did would shock you.

In the end, Presti elected to stay put, bringing in his second prospect from the 2025 NBA Draft class. With the No. 44 pick, the defending champions selected Northwestern swingman Brooks Barnhizer.

"Incredible pick," an NBA agent told Thunder on SI. "[one of the] smartest players in the draft, great size and work ethic. Easy path to impact in a couple of years."

This was an eye-popping text. It hit this scribe's phone unprompted and from an agent with prospects still on the board that doesn't even represent Barnhizer. Just pure excitement as a basketball fan who scouts the draft year-round.

All signs point to the Oklahoma City Thunder shuffling Barnhizer to a two-way pact this summer. This is a path that many Thunder second-rounders have taken before him, most notably Aaron Wiggins and Ajay Mitchell on this current championship roster.

It's unclear who would be the odd man out in that scenario of the Thunder's two-way trio (Adam Flagler, Branden Carlson and Alex Ducas), but the fresh blood of Barnhizer is too tempting to pass up.

Grading Brooks Barnhizer's fit with the OKC Thunder

The pathway to NBA minutes is going to be hard to come by in Barnhizer's rookie season with Oklahoma City. Though his hard-nose defensive style, motor and winning plays will certainly catch the eye of Mark Daigneault during Thunder training camp –– who is not afraid to throw second-round picks into the fire early and often in the 82-game marathon.

Though the most likely outcome for the Thunder is to shuffle Barnhizer to the OKC Blue for a large chunk of his rookie season. Oklahoma City has a world-class G League program, which plays a system on both sides of the floor that mirrors the big league club to maximize every minute on the hardwood for two-way and NBA assignee players.

There are few defensive-developmental coaches in the league better than Blue head coach Kam Woods, who has worked his magic with a number of current Thunder contributors between his time as an assistant at the NBA level and G League head man. Barnhizer can take this already high-level skillset and potentially improve to an elite-level on the defensive end of the floor under Woods' tutelage.

Barnhizer graded out in the 87th percentile defensively, according to Synergy. He limited matchups to 0.741 points per possession in all settings. While defending spot-up shooters, the scrappy defender ranked in the 75th percentile.

Though his best trait is defending pick-and-roll ball handlers, he is able to hold opponents to 0.514 points per possession, ranking in the 92nd percentile. His borderline elite-level screen navigation helps him be a pesky defender for the length of a possession, along with his understanding of the game.

At times, it looks as though Barnhizer knows the other team's plays better than they do. The hip mobility, footwork and angles all stand out as reasons for his success on the defensive end of the floor. When he gets caught under the rim, the Northwestern product is the definition of playing bigger than he is, understanding how to wall up at the cup without fouling and limiting matchups to a lowly 32% shooting at the ring.

Sure, the Thunder have a plethora of point-of-attack defenders who are already better than the incoming rookie. However, he never takes himself out of a play. He is opportunistic away from the ball, getting in passing lanes for deflections that bog down possessions while averaging 2.3 steals per game to go along with 1.1 blocks a night during his Senior season with the Wildcats.

Offensively, his shooting leaves a lot to be desired. The results just aren't there. He is a career 31% shooter in college from beyond the arc and finished his senior campaign as a 26% 3-point shooter. These numbers include a lowly 24% as a catch-and-shoot option.

However, positive indicators such as smooth shot mechanics and 76% shooting at the free throw line provide hope for the future. Not to mention the naturally better spacing that comes with not only the NBA but being flanked by high-level scorers in Oklahoma City specifically. Chip Engelland is around the OKC Blue quite a bit and it seems like these two will be well acquainted very soon.

In his Senior year, Barnhizer shot just 52% at the rim, which is the lowest mark of his career. It is fair to wonder if his eventual season-ending foot injury had something to do with that. As a Sophomore the No. 44 pick converted at a 59% clip at the cup ranking in the 59th percentile.

The rim finishing numbers hurt his cutting outcomes, which will need to improve for him to have staying power at the professional level.

Though Barnhizer thrives in two key areas as an offensive weapon. In the mid-range and as a connective passer. The ball doesn't stick to the newest member of the Oklahoma City Thunder; he gives the pumpkin energy in an effort to keep defenses on their heels, another requirement for Daigneault's offense.

The rookie is also a special mid-range operator using the middle of the floor to nail rise-up jumpers en route to 17 points per game as a Senior and an 11-point per game scorer in his college career.

Ultimately, this is a well-warranted flyer for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round. Who amongst us is going to question is the Bricktown ballers can take a player with this foundation of skills and turn him into a legitimate contributor? Certainly not I.

Grade: B+