Ranking Illustrates Thunder Elite NBA Draft History

The Oklahoma City Thunder have enjoyed an elite NBA Draft history as a recent ranking reveals.

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

The Oklahoma City Thunder have enjoyed a successful run since landing in Bricktown back in 2008. The OKC Thunder have reaped the benefit of having Sam Presti at the helm during that entire span as his tenure dates back to Seattle where Presti laid the foundation for what became one of the most successful franchise in the sport during that stretch.

His ability to acquire talent via the draft, in trades and most recently on the Free Agent market for the first time has been impressive. This week, Hoops Hype has compiled a list showing just how good some of the sport's top executives have been in drafting players.

Their research shows that Oklahoma City Thunder's top executive ranks among the best with four of his draft picks becoming All-NBA players, 29 All-NBA selections total through 18 drafts. That averages out to 0.22 All-NBA players per draft which is among the best in the league's history.

This does not even factor in the All-NBA players Presti acquired such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who flourished into an MVP-caliber guard after being shipped to Bricktown from Los Angeles. Or account for his ability to grab Paul George on the trade market after the franchise faced a stage of limbo.

The proof is in both the eye test and numbers for how talented Presti and company are at compiling talent in Oklahoma City as the Thunder are once again poised for another decade of dominance.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.