NBA Draft: Alabama’s Noah Clowney Could Infuse OKC Thunder with Size

Oklahoma City needs to bolster its frontcourt, and Alabama’s Noah Clowney provides them with that chance in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Alabama was a force to be reckoned with in college basketball this past season with a starting lineup full of young talent.

While Brandon Miller got most of the hype as a likely top-three pick, Noah Clowney also has tremendous upside and is likely a solidified first round pick.

Clowney is an intriguing prospect standing at 6-foot-10, 210-pounds. He’s got a large frame and can control the paint with ease. He has soft hands around the rim and can take control of the glass, too.

In his lone collegiate season, he averaged 9.8 points and grabbed 7.9 rebounds per game. Overall, he shot 48.6% from the field and 28.3% from beyond the arc. Clowney, while typically doing most of his work in the paint, does not hesitate to shoot the ball from deep. Though he’s not the best shooter just yet.

Clowney could provide a solid rim protector defensively and a top of the line rebounder at the next level. He's a player who doesn’t have to score a lot of points to make an impact on the game, and that type of player could slot into the OKC rotation perfectly.

The Thunder have scoring, but could use another big body in the paint to help defensively and, occasionally, offensively. The Thunder lacked true size and a large 6-10, 200-plus pound frame could make a huge impact on an already up-and-coming roster.

Projections vary for Clowney, but ESPN ranks him as the No. 20 prospect in the draft. He will likely be available wherever the Thunder land in the lottery, but will almost undoubtedly be off the board when OKC selects in the second round. But Sam Presti hasn’t shied away from drafting the player he wants no matter the projections or the position OKC.

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