Why Brayden Burries Makes Perfect Sense For OKC Thunder

Oklahoma City has plenty of decisions to make this offseason. A Summer that will go a long way in revealing the path to sustainability for one of the league's biggest title contenders. It starts at next week's NBA Draft.

The 2026 class is littered with top of the line prospects and the Oklahoma City Thunder are stocked with a pair of top 20 picks entering the event with selections No. 12 and 17 at its disposal. The Thunder are one of the biggest talking points leading into Tuesday's NBA Draft. Sam Presti has plenty of options in the top decision making desk in Oklahoma City's war room.

A popluar prediction features the Thunder moving up in the 2026 NBA Draft to crack the top ten with a combination of their current two selections and/or throwing in future assets or a current player to climb the board in Brooklyn during the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.

If the Bricktown Ballers elect to move up in the draft, the perfect fit for this roster could be Arizona guard Brayden Burries.

The first reaction from many Thunder fans would likely be "Another guard?" with puzzeled looks pondering how the Thunder will address the need to find a true wing on this roster.

However, this is the first step to sustainability. Getting a guard with this much talent on a cost controlled rookie-scale contract would be massively benefitial to Oklahoma City.

Looking back at this postseason, the lack of playmaking, shot creation and play finishing popped off the page just as much –– and arguably more –– than the lack of a 6-foot-8-plus athletic forward.

Sure, injuries played the biggest part in that as the Thunder only got two full games of Jalen Williams in the postseason and saw Ajay Mitchell exit the Western Conference Finals early. With those two in the fold, Oklahoma City likely gets past the pesky Spurs and meet the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.

However, with the injury riddled season from Williams and two straight campaigns where Mitchell has dealt with injuries, an insurance policy could be in order for Oklahoma City. If the Thunder get a good run of injury luck and have all three of Williams, Mitchell and Burries available to support superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on top of the addition of Jared McCain, then the Thunder turn a weakness –– or at the very least a question mark –– into a massive strength.

Burries is a high-motor and high-end defender. At 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-6 wingspan, he adds switchable defense and fits Mark Daigneault's system on that end. While it is no easy feat to be a Lu Dort-level defender, that is the level the Arizona product could reach in his NBA career, which would help aid the Thunder in likely possibly the defensive ace this offseason.

Offensively, the Thunder just do not have enough of what Burries offers. He can get a bucket on the ball or off of it. Able to isolate his way to the bucket or get there off the catch attacking a hard close out and thrive in transition. He is advanced at reading the pick-and-roll as a ball handler, lethal in the mid-range as a pull up artist, has the body control to finish through contact at the cup and can knock down the 3 ball at a high clip at the next level.

Burries is also fantastic at relocating around the 3-point line to find space and passing windows to knock down trey balls, be a connective playmaker or attack off the catch.

The Arizona product shot 42% off the dribble, 45% on runners, a jaw-dropping 62% at the rim, 38% off the catch and 39% on long triples. Couple that with 1.2 points per possesion in transition, 1.4 points per possession off screens and ranking in the 88th percentile in the pick-and-roll and it is easy to see him injecting more life in the Thunder's offense.

Defensively, Burries limits pick-and-roll ball handlers to just 0.6 points per possession with his ability to navigate screens, harrass ball handlers and contest shots. Matchups shot a lowly 4-for-21 against Burries in isolation and when caught at the rim to defend the soon to be lottery pick held matchups to a dreadful 38%.

His ability to get it done on both sides of the hardwood, the scale-able nature of his craft and the easy to see first year impact all make Burries a perfect prospect for Oklahoma City.

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