The Oklahoma City Thunder have been strong in drafting late in the lottery lately, selecting Jalen Williams with the No. 12 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, followed by Cason Wallace with the No. 10 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Both of the aforementioned players really contributed to the team’s last playoff run, which ended in the second round against the Dallas Mavericks, who are now in the NBA Finals.
With the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, courtesy of the Houston Rockets, Thunder general manager Sam Presti once again has the opportunity to find strong value late in the lottery. There will be plenty of options for the team, as they can take a variety of routes and come out of the draft as a winner.
ESPN recently released a unique mock draft, looking for a player who best fits the team’s needs and another who fits the team’s best value for their pick. For the Thunder, the player for every need and best value happens to be the same prospect – Nikola Topic. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo both spoke about why Topic would be the right choice.
“With a roster stacked with talent at every position, it might make sense that the Thunder would consider drafting Topic, who was widely considered a top-5 prospect before suffering a knee injury,” wrote Jonathan Givony of ESPN. “Oklahoma City can afford to redshirt Topic next season, extend Josh Giddey to an acceptable number, then slide a healthy Topic (the two share many similarities) in Giddey’s place if they ultimately have to move the Australian due to luxury tax issues.”
Using Topic as a redshirt, given his age, could make sense. The Thunder might take some time to understand Giddey’s situation and the team’s future as well. This sort of follows a dual timeline, except the Thunder are incredibly young and they can afford to do this.
“Not only does Topic fit the Thunder’s needs well, he’s a solid value for any team if they fall outside of the top 10,” wrote ESPN’s Jeremy Woo. “Even if his partial ACL tear causes him to miss part or all of next season, signing him now is a long-term value play. Some scouts considered him a top contender early in the season, and especially if he ends up slipping like that on draft night, Topic will be an interesting professional career to follow in the years to come.
Topic’s talent was highly regarded before his injury. He’s young and will be able to return to form, so it would be incredible value for the Thunder to land a top-five talent and such a promising player late in the lottery.
READ MORE: Why Knicks Center Isaiah Hartenstein Would Be an Intriguing Acquisition for OKC Thunder
Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook And Follow us on twitter to stay up to date with all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the cover.
