Initial Reaction: Oklahoma City's Top Options at No. 12

Despite receiving no lottery luck, the Thunder can still snag a potential star at No. 12.

Oklahoma City stood pat in the lottery, slotting in at No. 12 overall and avoiding any potential chaos. The good news for the Thunder, is that this is a very deep draft class with plenty of potential stars in the late lottery.

Now locked in outside of the top ten, Oklahoma City will have an idea of who’s on the board when the clock starts ticking. Although the Thunder have guard power in the starting lineup, the team is in no spot to draft based on position of need — OKC is certainly still in best player available mode.

The Thunder will not reach for a big man out of necessity, but instead pick the player that fits best with what the team is building. This has been proven time and time again.

Here’s an early look at four prospects Oklahoma City might consider at No. 12 — assuming they keep the pick, of course:

Leonard Miller

The G League Ignite star is already being mocked to Oklahoma City left and right. He’s a tall, athletic forward that would be a terrific play-finisher for the Thunder. Miller has shown great potential as a slasher and has great control around the basket. He would compliment Oklahoma City’s guard well and find points in transition.

Miller is listed at 6-foot-10, which would make him an easy candidate to slip into the ThunderMs front court rotation. He doesn’t seem to be an elite creator yet, but Oklahoma City has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey for a reason. Miller would join the Thunder’s front court unicorns in Chet Holmgren, Aleksej Pokusevski and Ousmane Dieng.

Gradey Dick

One of Oklahoma City’s biggest team needs remains 3-point shooting, and selecting the wing from Kansas would add plenty of talent in that department. Dick could be the best pure shooter in the draft and has ideal size at 6-foot-8.

With the Jayhawks, he averaged 14 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 40.7% from 3-point range. The common misconception with Dick is that he’s just a shooter, when in reality, he has plenty of room to grow in many areas. He’s an impressive all around player and displayed plenty of upside as a freshman for the Jayhawks.

Cason Wallace

Wallace might not make it to pick No. 12, but if he does, Oklahoma City should take a detailed look at the Kentucky guard. He’s a steady player with a very high floor and can really help the Thunder defend on the perimeter. I’m sure Gilgeous-Alexander wouldn’t mind another Kentucky guard on the roster either.

Wallace averaged 11.9 points, 4.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game for the Wildcats, stuffing the stat sheet nightly. He shot 44.9% from the floor and 34.6% from 3-point range.

Bilal Coulibaly

Coulibaly is the biggest mystery box in Oklahoma City’s range but seems to be climbing up draft boards every week. As Wembanyama’s teammate, Coulibaly has gotten a chance to be in the spotlight and, recently, he’s taken advantage of it.

According to @SynergySST Bilal Coulibaly is shooting:

54.8% from the field
43.5% from 3
43.5% on catch & shoot jumpers
46.7% on unguarded jumpers off the catch
67.3% around the rim
65.4% in transition
71.4% on cuts to rim
76.9% on offensive rebound putbacks

Only 18 years old pic.twitter.com/WMJlAzaLjc

— Rafael Barlowe (@Barlowe500) May 8, 2023

At just 18 years old, Coulibaly is one of the most intriguing first round prospects. He’s an elite athlete that is putting up ultra-efficient numbers and still has so much room to grow. The wing prospect could be an ideal off-ball fit in Oklahoma City, finishing alley-oops and adding defense wherever needed on the floor.

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