Inside The Thunder

NBA Mock Draft: OKC Thunder Make Intriguing Selection in First Round

With the regular season coming to a close, NBA Draft discussions are starting to heat up as the offseason looms for many teams around the league.

Randall Sweet

Thunder general manager Sam Presti speaks during an introductory press conference for the 2024 Thunder draft picks at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center in Oklahoma City, Saturday, June, 29, 2024.
Thunder general manager Sam Presti speaks during an introductory press conference for the 2024 Thunder draft picks at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center in Oklahoma City, Saturday, June, 29, 2024. / SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Oklahoma City Thunder are a hard team to pin down in mock drafts.

With such a deep roster and so many draft picks in the coming years, many media members aren't exactly sure where Sam Presti and company will look in the NBA Draft this season. Names like Rasheer Fleming, Noah Penda and Carter Bryant have all been popular pairings for OKC in mock drafts during this cycle, but a recent projection from Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor introduced another candidate.

With the No. 19 overall pick in his mock draft, O'Connor paired French center Joan Beringer with the Thunder.

Listed at 6-foot-9, Beringer is 18-years-old and plays for Cedevita Olimpija in the EuroLeague. In 43 games this season, the young prospect is averaging 4.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 58.3% from the field.

While his stats may not be eye-popping, Beringer is competing against experienced professional athletes at the same age as most college freshman. Additionally, much of the intrigue around Berginger comes from his upside as a defender.

"Beringer would be a classic Sam Presti pick," O'Connor wrote in his mock draft. "Beringer began playing basketball only three years ago, which makes him a raw project, but also makes his natural talents all the more impressive playing this season in the ABA League and the EuroCup. The Thunder don’t really need him to contribute today considering how deep the roster is. But he’s a massive, long-term swing as a center with the quickness of a guard, giving him immense defensive versatility to build on for years to come."

Beringer would likely be a polarizing selection, given his lack of production, but it seems like a swing Oklahoma City can afford to make with the team's current roster. The Thunder don't have many holes to fill, and will bring back much of their current roster next season.

OKC will eventually have to make a contract decision about Isaiah Hartenstein, and drafting a potential replacement in the coming draft could assure the team has a plan in place for when Hartenstein's current deal expires.

Beringer would likely need a few years and some time in the G League before he is ready to contribute in the NBA, but that is a luxury the Thunder can seemingly afford this season.

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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall Sweet is a 2022 Oklahoma University graduate who has formerly written for the Norman Transcript and OU Daily. Randall also serves as the Communications Coordinator at Visit OKC.

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