NBA Mock Draft: Thunder Select Pair of College Stars in Second Round

It is safe to say that the Oklahoma City Thunder shattered expectations in 2022-23, winning 40 games and earning the franchise's first postseason berth since 2019-20. After losing in the final game of the Play-In Tournament to the Minnesota Timberwolves, however, OKC must now prepare for the next phase of its ascension.

For Oklahoma City, the 2023 draft is an opportunity to bring in a player who could help the Thunder make the leap into a Western Conference powerhouse. On April 12, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN released a new, two-round mock draft that yielded interesting returns for the Thunder.

With the No. 12 pick, Woo slotted Arkansas guard and former five-star prospect Nick Smith Jr. to OKC. In his lone season with the Razorbacks, the No. 1 prospect in the 2022 high school class averaged 12.5 points, 1.7 assists, 1.6 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 37.6% from the field and 33.8% from 3-point range.

While his collegiate numbers may not be eye-popping, the impressive scoring and playmaking abilities that Smith Jr. showcased regularly in high school did flash at times while playing for Arkansas. The North Little Rock High School product missed the beginning of the season with a knee injury, which reportedly bugged Smith Jr. for most of his freshman year.

Smith Jr. was a McDonald's All-American his senior year of high school and was compared to Jamal Murray by 247Sports' Recruiting Analyst Travis Branham. Listed at 6-foot-5, the Jacksonville, Arkansas, native has the positional size that Oklahoma City General Manager Sam Presti frequently covets in draft prospects.

With the 38th overall selection, the ESPN duo picked Kansas forward Jalen Wilson for the Thunder. Standing at 6-foot-8, Wilson put up 20.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 43% from the field and 33.7% from beyond the arc.

The Denton, Texas, native's senior campaign earned Wilson Big 12 Player of the Year honors this season, helping lead the Jayhawks to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Wilson's teammate, Gradey Dick, will also be a potential OKC target in the lottery.

Finally, Givony and Woo gave Purdue center Zach Edey to Oklahoma City with the No. 50 pick in their most recent mock draft. Edey also helped lead his team to a No. 1 seed in March Madness, tallying 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting over 60% from the field as a junior.

The Boilermakers' big man was named Naismith Player of the Year and AP Player of the Year in addition to winning the Wooden Award in 2022-23. Listed at 7-foot-4 and 285 pounds, Edey seems like an obvious selection for the Thunder this late in the draft given OKC's struggles against bigger opponents this season.

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