The Oklahoma City Thunder have two picks in Tuesday night’s NBA Draft. Number 12 and number 17. And if you’ve been paying attention, you know Sam Presti rarely just sits there and takes both.
But here’s the angle that actually matters for this team long-term: finding somebody who can at least make Victor Wembanyama work for it. Because Chet Holmgren got absolutely handled the last time those two matched up, and the Thunder and Spurs are going to be fighting for Western Conference supremacy for years.
What the Mock Drafts Are Saying
ClutchPoints insider Brett Siegel dropped some intel this week. His mock has the Thunder taking Michigan big man Morez Johnson Jr. with the 12th pick. That’s not a flashy name. Johnson is more of a physical presence than a polished scorer. But that’s sort of the point.
“Many keep pointing to Nate Ament being Sam Presti’s ultimate target if he can jump into the top 10, although Aday Mara makes more sense, especially after watching Victor Wembanyama give Chet Holmgren the business,” Siegel wrote. “But should the Thunder actually keep this pick and make a selection, Morez Johnson Jr. is gaining a lot of traction to be the 12th pick.”
Johnson is 6-foot-9, 255 pounds. He’s not going to block Wembanyama’s shot. Nobody is. But he’s got the kind of lower-body strength and willingness to bump that might make Wemby work a little harder for his buckets. That’s the whole calculus here.
The Second Pick Is Probably Moving
With the 17th pick, Siegel projects the Thunder to take Mexican forward Karim Lopez. But he also noted that “nobody expects the Thunder to be making a pick here.” Which tracks. Presti loves hoarding assets, but he also loves packaging them to move up.
There’s been buzz for weeks about OKC trying to get into the top 10. Pair those two picks together and they might be able to jump up eight or nine spots. Maybe grab a guy like Ament or another wing who fits their system better than any mid-first-round project would.
The Thunder already made one move this offseason, trading Aaron Wiggins to Atlanta to clear cap space. That tells you they’re still tinkering with a roster that won 57 games last year. They don’t need a rebuild. They need specific pieces.
And the most specific piece of all is someone who can stand in front of Wembanyama without getting embarrassed. It’s a weird problem to have. Most teams don’t have to worry about a 7-foot-4 alien who can shoot over anybody. But the Thunder do. Every season. For the foreseeable future.
The draft tips at 8 p.m. Eastern. We’ll find out pretty quickly whether Presti stays put or makes a move.
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