Inside The Thunder

OKC Thunder Draft Primer: Ranking the Top Realistic Options

Oklahoma City could shake things up on draft night by selecting another talent in the lottery.

Ross Lovelace

Mar 15, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Colorado Buffaloes forward Tristan da Silva (23) celebrates in the second half against the Washington State Cougars at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Colorado Buffaloes forward Tristan da Silva (23) celebrates in the second half against the Washington State Cougars at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

With the NBA Draft just 24 hours away, the landscape of the league could change dramatically. From draft night trades, salary shedding, roster shake-ups and everything in between, draft night is always one of the most chaotic days of the year. Oklahoma City has less on the line this season compared to years past, but there’s still a prime opportunity to add lottery talent to a contending team.

The Thunder doesn’t have a Top 5 pick, but the back end of the lottery has made the team a lot of money in recent years. Oklahoma City has had pick No. 12 in three straight drafts now, and the last two selections have proven to be game changing. The Thunder walked away with Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace, who both played a big time role throughout the season and into the playoffs.

Theoretically, Oklahoma City could certainly look to trade the pick. Every option is on the table Wednesday night. But if the team elects to keep its lottery pick, there’s plenty of talent that would make sense. Here are my top options, in order, of the best case scenario picks for the Thunder:

1. Ron Holland

Holland is easily my top choice for Oklahoma City to take a swing on. He has as high of a ceiling as anyone in the draft, and his floor still offers valuable tools that could help the Thunder win now. The odds that he falls to No. 12 feel slim, but he won’t be out of reach if OKC wants to trade up. If he starts to slip, it would be a match made in heaven for the Thunder to swoop in.

For the G League Ignite, he averaged 19.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. Holland shot 46% from the floor. He’s a high-ceiling defender, too, as he averaged 2.3 steals and 0.9 blocks. The 6-foot-8 forward should be at the top of most team’s draft boards, and the very top of Oklahoma City’s. Holland can play the forward position next to Holmgren but could guard up and down the lineup if need be. He's a perfect defender to run plenty of switches with and gives the Thunder even more length.

At his very best, Holland could be a potential All-Star. At his worst, he has promising defensive skills and can be a transition scorer. His intangibles and hustle are top-tier, and his competitive spirit would fit perfectly with Oklahoma City's young core. This would be a home run pick.

2. Tristan da Silva

Da Silva feels like one of the most pro-ready prospects in this draft. Oklahoma City has had success with more polished college players recently like Jalen Williams. Da Silva offers height and length at 6-foot-8 and fills an automatic need for the Thunder at the forward spot.

He averaged 16 points and 5.1 rebounds for Colorado this season and was a very efficient scorer. Da Silva shot 49.3% from the floor and 39.5% from 3-point range. His versatile offensive skill set would mesh well with Oklahoma City’s selfless core, and he feels like a guy that could move up and down the lineup. Da Silva is sometimes described as a “tweener” and to the Thunder, that could mean positionless. He’d be someone that can contribute right away.

In addition to his all-around strengths, da Silva might just be the best cutter in this draft. He's a terrific slasher and seems to be an extremely high IQ player. He'd fit within the flow of Oklahoma City's movement offense and wouldn't be a ball stopper. Da Silva can quickly find his role and excel, which is exactly how Cason Wallace found early minutes last season.

3. Carlton “Bub” Carrington

Although Oklahoma City has a handful of ultra talented guards, Carrington would be a simple case of best player available. He’s certainly not small at 6-foot-5 and has a knack for the ball, playing bigger than his listed height. He truly does it all. Carrington averaged 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists in his freshman season at Pittsburgh and is one of the youngest players in the entire draft.

His splits weren’t eye-popping, but the film shows that it’s nothing too concerning. He shot 41.2% from the floor and 32.2% from the 3-point line. Carrington was a good free throw shooter, though, which generally indicates a promising potential development. He shot 78.5% from the charity stripe. Carting ton is so young that he’s still learning how to use his size and athleticism to his advantage as a guard. Unfortunately, Oklahoma City might not be the best spot for him to get high-volume reps with the ball in his hands. And that’s the only way he’ll truly develop.

If he’s willing to play for the Oklahoma City Blue, and the team has the patience, this pick makes sense. It might take some time, but there’s not many players in this draft with a higher ceiling than Carrington. It might not be with the Thunder, but he could end up being an All-Star someday.

4. Ryan Dunn

The best defender in the draft has been linked to Oklahoma City for some time now. He fits the prototype of previous Thunder swings (Andre Roberson, Josh Huestis, even Darius Bazley to an extent) but he’s a better defensive prospect than all three. The best part about Dunn is that the Thunder could trade back and still select him. He likely won’t go inside the Top 15, so Oklahoma City could move down the board and receive future draft capital.

Dunn is a fantastic rebounder, which would really help Oklahoma City’s lineups. He averaged 8.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals for Virginia this past season. With the ACC All-Defensive selection, you know what you’re getting. A high-motor all-around defender that fills a forward spot. His shooting will always be a question mark, though, and that could seriously hinder the Thunder’s floor spacing. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needs room to operate, and we saw how teams played Josh Giddey down the stretch.

Despite the shooting concerns, Dunn checks every other box for this athletic, defensive-minded Thunder team. History would suggest Oklahoma City likes to take chances on prospects like him, too.

5. Daron Holmes II

The Dayton big man has been linked to the Thunder by a few sources around the NBA, and it was also reported he might have a first round promise. Many Thunder fans have started talking themselves into his fit on the current roster. He checks a lot of boxes with size and athleticism in the front court, but his fit next to Chet Holmgren would be the biggest factor. Unlike da Silva and Dunn, Holmes is a clear forward and he’s not much of a “tweener” whatsoever.

Holmes appears to have a strong work ethic as he improved every year for the Flyers. His junior campaign was when he put it all together, averaging 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He came to Dayton as a 14.3% 3-point shooter, rarely even attempting a triple his freshman year, and left as a 38.6% outside shooter on 2.5 attempts per game. His improvement to this point has been remarkable.

While Holmes is certainly a modern NBA big man, he can also do a little bit of everything. He’s able to handle the ball in transition, he has shown passing promise, and his outside shooting has already been documented. He’s versatile. The big fear with Holmes is that he might not have an elite attribute. While he’s a good prospect with few holes in his game, there’s not one specific area he absolutely excels at. NBA size and speed will be a lot different than he experienced in college, and he’ll need to find a way to truly stand out. He’s a natural fit in Oklahoma City position-wise, and would be a solid option.

Honorable Mentions:

Zach Edey

Of course, Edey has been the most polarizing prospect linked to the Thunder — and it dates back to last season when he worked out for the team. Nobody truly knows what his NBA career will entail, but some team is going to take a first round flier on the most dominant college prospect in recent memory. Because the team loves Holmgren’s potential and ceiling at the center spot, Edey would likely be a situational backup in Oklahoma City. If the team is open to Holmgren playing some at the four, that’s where things could get interesting.

I’m higher on Edey than most, and think he certainly has a spot in the NBA. With Holmgren in mind, though, it doesn’t feel like a complementary fit.

Ja’Kobe Walter

Walter could be the elite creator off the bench Oklahoma City needs to find over the next few seasons. When the offense dries up and Gilgeous-Alexander is on the bench, having someone that can simply get a bucket is important. He’s one of the most underrated prospects in this draft. He averaged 14.4 points per game on a good Baylor team this season and displayed impressive shot-making abilities in the face of tough defense.

Kel’el Ware

The Indiana big man would give Oklahoma City front court depth and versatility. He’s a player that it certainly feels like he should be mocked higher than he currently is. Wade averaged 15.9 points and 9.9 rebounds for Indiana, and is simply a dominant big man at 7-feet tall. While he only took 1.3 triples per game, he shot 42.5% and showcased a glimpse into what could be a promising addition to his NBA career. Out of the three honorable mention candidates, Ware would be my favorite on the Thunder.

Want to join the discussion?Like Inside the Thunder on Facebookand follow us on Twitterto stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can alsomeet the teambehind the coverage.

Published
Ross Lovelace
ROSS LOVELACE

Ross is a 2023 Oklahoma University graduate who has formerly written for the OU Daily and Prep Hoops. He now works for the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee and covers OU sports for AllSooners.com. He has been covering the Thunder since the 2019-20 season.

Home/News