On the eve of the draft, the Thunder took the lead and completed an important offseason layout. They sent Giddey to the Bulls in exchange for Alex Caruso, a trade that made the Thunder's defense, which is already in the top five in the league, even more impregnable.
As the draft season began, the Thunder had only one 12th pick. It is widely predicted that the Thunder will use this pick to fill their interior void, which seems to be their most pressing need.
However, that's not the case, and the Thunder's draft strategy is always full of surprises.
To everyone's surprise, the Thunder selected Serbian guard Nikola Topic with the 12th pick. Topeic was once fancied to finish in the top five or top 10, but a knee injury in late April unexpectedly dropped his draft pick and he is expected to miss most or all of next season.
But the Thunder still chose the potential star, which is undoubtedly a bold bet on young talent.
The Thunder's pick night harvest didn't end there. They traded five future second-round picks from the Knicks for the 26th pick in the first round. The Thunder then used that pick to select Webb State forward Dillon Jones, a young forward who will bring new energy and potential to the team.
Then, the Thunder sent the "Son of Russia" Lindy Waters in the second round of the draft and got the Warriors' No. 52 pick, and then the Thunder used the No. 52 pick they got from the Warriors to trade for the Trail Blazers' No. 40 pick, and then traded for the Knicks' No. 38 pick. Defender Ajay Mitchell was drafted with the 38th pick.
12th pick in the first round: Nikola Topić
Nikola Topic is probably one of the most underrated players in this draft, as he had a much higher projected draft pick before a knee injury. For the Thunder, being able to select Topic at this position is undoubtedly a great value for money.
Although Topeic is likely to be unavailable next season, he is still seen as the perfect replacement for Giddey. Topeic is 6 feet 6 inches tall, and as a tall point guard, his playmaking skills on the court are impressive. He has a wide passing vision and is able to find his teammates with ease and create good scoring opportunities for them. Under the basket, Topic also showed excellent finishing ability, shooting 88% from the free-throw line, which is a rare rarity among guards.
Of course, Topeic still has a long way to go in basketball, and he still has a lot of room for improvement in defense and outside shooting. But given his touch under the basket and his free-throw percentage, there's reason to believe that his performance from beyond the three-point line will also make a leap over time. at
Defensively, Topic doesn't need to be a defensive master of one-on-one defense, he needs more to integrate into the Thunder's team defense system and play the strength of the team.
With the addition of Topitic, the Thunder have added another passer in the backcourt who can play alongside Gilgeous-Alexander. Not only did he fill the team's playmaking void since Giddey's departure, but he also showed more potential than Giddey in three-point shooting and defense. Topic is expected to be the leader of the Thunder's second team, and even in the near future, he will have the ability to start alongside Alexander.
26th pick in the first round: Dillon Jones
Unlike Topic, Dillon Jones is more of an unpolished piece of potential.
Jones has an arm span of 6 feet 11 inches, which gives the Thunder more tactical options in multiple positions. Jones weighed in at 237 pounds, which made him almost unstoppable when it came to hitting the basket. His addition is expected to help the Thunder make a qualitative leap forward in rebounding, after all, the team needs it urgently.
Jones also has multi-position defensive ability on the defensive end, which is what the Thunder value. Although height wasn't his strength, he averaged nearly 10 rebounds per game in college, a statistic that proves his competitiveness under the basket.
Like Topeic, Jones still needs to improve on several fronts. He needs to be a more consistent outside shooter and learn to play more off the ball, which will be key to his success with the Thunder. At Weber State University, he had high expectations; And with the Thunder, he'll play more of an off-ball role, which will be crucial to his development.
38th pick in the second round: Ajay Mitchell
Mitchell is a tall and well-rounded backcourt player. He has a relatively well-rounded scoring ability on the offensive end, he can use the breakthrough to score, and he also has a decent mid-to-long-range shooting ability, and he is very skillful.
While the Thunder have yet to address their most pressing need with reinforcements – increasing interior height. However, they also have about $30 million in salary space and are expected to solve this problem in the free agent market.
Finally, the Thunder have successfully brought in Alex Caruso, Nikola Topic, Dillon Jones, and Adjay Mitchell so far in the offseason, which is undoubtedly a good start to the offseason.
#头条创作挑战赛#