NBA Draft Profile: Oklahoma City Thunder (Pick 14)

Hello, we’re talking about a team with two of the five best scorers in the NBA. Even with Kevin Durant missing 55 games last season, the Thunder still posted the tenth-best offensive rating in basketball, just two years removed from leading the league in that category.Fortunately, as the Thunder offense dipped without Durant, they tightened up on the boards, leading the league in both offensive rebounds and total rebounds. Enes Kanter (11.0), Serge Ibaka (7.8), Steven Adams (7.5), and Russell Westbrook (7.3) all managed to average over seven rebounds per game, and with the Thunder likely to bring back Kanter, I’d have to imagine they’ll have a similar advantage on the boards again next season.The addition of Kanter to a front line already including dirty-work guys like Ibaka and Adams not only gave OKC an edge on the glass; the Thunder finished sixth in the NBA in blocked shots as well. Centered around Ibaka, who allowed just 40.8-percent shooting at the rim (second best in the NBA), the Thunder have an imposing front line to make up for their average perimeter defense.The only thing that’s been able to slow down the Thunder (remember, Scott Brooks can no longer be a scapegoat here) has been health, and if KD’s able to return to his 2014 MVP level, this team should return to prominence in the loaded Western Conference, regardless of what it does with the No. 14 pick in the upcoming draft.

Team Weaknesses:
Dion Waiters.

Just kidding. Seriously, as ineffective as the Thunder’s first guard off the bench was in his first season with the club (in which he started 20 of 47 games), Oklahoma City needs more scoring help off its bench if it’s going to be competing with the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets next season. In a lesser role – if general manager Sam Presti picks up his team option, that is – Waiters will be able to give the Thunder similar production to the departed Reggie Jackson, but he can’t be their only source of scoring relief.

Much as we’ve seen Ibaka and Adams develop while in Oklahoma City, this is going to be a big year for second-year player Mitch McGary, as the Thunder haven’t had a reserve big man capable of scoring the ball since…Chris Wilcox? And even that feels like a stretch!

With the ability to put the ball on the floor, facilitate, and even stroke it, McGary could give the Thunder similar production to what the Warriors got out of David Lee in the Finals — he’s a face-up guy who isn’t afraid to initiate the offense.

Oklahoma City shot the ball poorly from three-point range last season, but I’m not going to harp on this. The Thunder were without Durant, resulting in Westbrook (a career 30-percent three-point shooter) hoisting 4.3 attempts per game. With guys like Anthony Morrow, D.J. Augustin, and Kyle Singler (there’s a strong possibility he’ll be re-signed), I think the Thunder’s three-point attack should be fine as long as Durant can stay healthy.Have I mentioned that staying healthy has been a weakness for the team?*Players they should be targeting at 14:

It’s not often that you see a team make the conference finals three out of four seasons, and wind up in the lottery the next, but with the potential for both Durant and Westbrook to leave for greener pastures in free agency over the next couple of summers, OKC needs to use this offseason to do everything possible to help deliver a championship this year.

With solid frontcourt depth, not to mention the likeliness that Durant will see time at the power forward position to match up with other small ball lineups and form an unstoppable offense, I think OKC should be looking for another perimeter player to keep the Thunder up in games when their stars are on the bench (or you know, hurt), and also be able to play big minutes with the starters. Here are a few options:

Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame

Is he a point guard? Is he a shooting guard? I’m not sure how to classify the 6-foot-5 combo guard – who will be 23 years old on opening night – but I can say that he scored the second most points in the ACC last season, and led the conference in assists per game. Grant will be ready to play immediately, and is the type of player who doesn’t get swallowed up by the moment.

I love the Grant fit because he’s a natural playmaker and facilitator, and he’s a terrific passer who makes very few mistakes offensively. He’s not going to have the ball in his hands if he winds up on the court with Durant and Westbrook, but I do believe he’ll make the game easier for Waiters, and he could potentially shoulder the offensive workload if the two star scorers are on the bench.

An above-average athlete, Grant makes up for anything he lacks physically with a high basketball IQ and effort, and does everything on the court competently. His biggest weakness as a prospect is his age, and if he had been able to finish out his junior season (which ended before conference play started due to academic ineligibility), I think he would have been a lottery pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State

I’m not certain that the 6-foot-2 Payne will necessarily be able to contribute in the NBA right away, but he’s a gifted playmaker with the ability to score from anywhere on the court. Payne’s a phenomenal slasher, in that he’s equally dangerous in drawing in the defense and finding an open teammate near the rim, or finishing by either attacking the basket or throwing up a floater.

As good as he is at finishing around the tin, Payne’s also a major threat from three — he can shoot off the dribble or on the catch playing off the ball. He scores effortlessly like a Lou Williams type, and confidently takes – and makes – tough shots, similar to (I don’t want to say it but I HAVE to) Steph Curry. Obviously, the more realistic of those two comparisons is Williams, but Payne is in a different category when it comes to decision making, and combining his unselfishness with his ability to stroke it (he shot .377 from three last season) would make him a great bench option for this Thunder team.The one thing to be wary of is that the Ohio Valley Conference isn’t exactly flooded with NBA talent, so as outstanding as Payne was for Murray State, he’s going to be going up against athletes he’s never seen before at the next level. That said, I think his game is diverse enough that he’d be a difference maker out of the gate for the Thunder.

Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas “Yeah, why can’t you be more like Kelly,” nags Jeremy Lamb, in a mocking tone, sitting in the Oklahoma City Blue locker room.

Let’s face it, we’re entering year four of the Lamb experience, and he couldn’t find a way to contribute in a meaningful way in a season that saw Perry Jones average more minutes than him! Oubre has all the tools Lamb once possessed, and with a prettier jump shot and more of an inclination to get involved on the defensive end, he could potentially be that wing scorer the Thunder have been looking for off the bench since trading that bearded fellow for Lamb and Co. back in the summer of 2012.

The number 11 prospect in the high school class of 2014, Oubre was part of an underachieving and disappointing Kansas team last season, as he got off to an unbelievably slow start. Once conference play came around, the 6-foot-7 Oubre started to show his next-level potential, highlighted by his ability to get out in the open court, finish ferociously around the basket, and even knock down threes. Oubre also showed potential on the defensive end, where his quick feet and imposing length gave guards fits.

Despite possessing great length and athleticism, Oubre has a very slight frame, and his shot selection could keep him nailed to the bench, or quite worse, the D-League. Again, Lamb stinks; it’s time to find a new wing player (if not 2014 first round pick Josh Huestis), and I think Oubre’s a fantastic prospect.