ESPN Slots two Players to OKC in Early 2024 Mock Draft

Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN recently released their first 2024 NBA Mock Draft, slotting two top 20 high school recruits to the Thunder in the first round.

The duo paired consensus 5-star recruit Justin Edwards and 247Sports Composite 5-star Kwame Evans Jr. together in Oklahoma City, with the Thunder selecting Edwards at No. 5 and Evans Jr. at pick 15.

OKC's first pick comes via Houston, who traded the pick to Sam Presti a few years ago in the Chris Paul-Russell Westbrook trade. In the fifth spot, Edwards seems like a worthy candidate prior to his first year of college basketball.

Rated the No. 3 player in the 2023 recruiting class, the Philadelphia native is yet another highly touted wing prospect slated to join the Kentucky Wildcats. At 6-foot-7, Edwards is Pennsylvania's No. 1 player and the No. 1 small forward in the nation, according to 247Sports.

Edwards attended the prestigious Imhotep Institute for high school, where NFL players Shaka Toney and DJ Moore also spent their prep careers.

According to scouts, Edwards is a good scorer who can produce at all three levels, with the ability to slash to the basket and attack the rim, spot up from beyond the arc or settle into his advanced mid-range game. After being evaluated by Travis Branham of 247Sports, Edwards was compared to Rodney Hood.

10 picks later, Givony and Woo projected the Thunder to select Evans Jr., a 6-foot-9 power forward who will spend his freshman year at Oregon. A product of Montverde Academy, Evans Jr. is a 5-star recruit and the No. 15 player in the country per the 247Sports Composite.

According to scouts, Evans Jr.'s calling card is his defense and potential defensive versatility. If he proves to be as apt on defense in college as evaluators expect, it seems that the Florida native would be a perfect fit with what Presti and OKC are looking for.

Both Edwards and Evans Jr. were McDonald's All-Americans this season.

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