As the 2019 NCAA Tournament is in full swing, prospects playing have an excellent opportunity to help improve their stock prior to the 2019 NBA Draft.
Draft boards will surely change based on some performances over the next few weeks and the tournament could be an opportunity to help an under-the-radar player gain some attention.
For the Thunder this year, Sam Presti and the front office currently have a first-round pick that is projected to be in the 20’s. The team does not have a second-round pick as that was sent to the Charlotte Hornets in the trade involving Hamidou Diallo.
After trading its first-round pick last year, the Thunder have an opportunity to add a younger player to its roster. While drafting that late in the first round can be difficult, there is still some talent that can be found.
Mock drafts have become quite popular in recent years as some notable outlets started pushing them out weeks ago. Fans love draft chatter and it often sparks some lively conversation around this time of year.
With the NCAA Tournament in full swing, we decided to take a look at five prospects that have been linked to the Thunder in various mock drafts.
Tyler Herro, SG – Kentucky
In the latest mock draft by Jonathan Givony of ESPN, the Thunder are projected to take Kentucky guard Tyler Herro at No. 20.
The 6-foot-5 freshman is averaging 14.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists this season for the Wildcats. As pointed out by Givony, teams like his ability to shoot and his effort on the defensive end of the floor.
Herro is knocking down 36 percent from 3-point and has a strong shooting stroke that gives some reason to believe he’ll have no problem adjusting to the NBA range.
Many believe the NCAA Tournament will be a tremendous opportunity for Herro to continue to improve his draft stock with a deep run by the Wildcats. As a No. 2 seed, Kentucky could be one of the last teams standing.
Herro recorded 14 points on Thursday against No. 15 Abilene Christian but had just nine points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field. Still, it was his defensive play that helped Kentucky to the 62-56 win over Wofford on Saturday.
Given the way that many see him playing over the next few weeks, Herro may even be off of the board by the time the Thunder are on the clock.
Herro and the Wildcats return to play on Friday against No. 3 Houston.
Cameron Johnson, SF – North Carolina
Once considered a second-round pick, Johnson has worked hard to build his draft stock. In the latest mock draft from NBADraft.net, Johnson is projected to go to the Thunder at No. 24.
Johnson is averaging 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game this season for the Tar Heels. The 6-foot-9 forward has also been regarded as one of the best shooters in the draft.
Johnson helped lead the Tar Heels back on Thursday against Iona. North Carolina trailed by five at halftime but Johnson returned to score 16 of his 21 points in the second half to pull out the 88-73 win.
The senior is shooting 46.6 percent from 3-point range on 5.8 attempts per game (94-of-203). As seen in the video above from Mike Schmitz of ESPN, Johnson has a quick release and is great in catch-and-shoot situations.
Johnson is yet another example of a player that will benefit from a deep postseason run but it is easy to see why the Thunder could be interested in him given his ability to shoot.
Luguentz Dort, Guard – Arizona State
Dort has been linked to the Thunder a few different times this season and he could be someone the team targets come June.
College basketball reporter Adam Zagoria reported back in November that the Thunder, Pacers and the Pelicans were among the teams to have reached out to the high school and AAU coaches for Dort.
The 6-foot-4 guard from the Athlete Institute Basketball Academy in Toronto, Canada, averaged 16.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 34 games this season for the Sun Devils.
The freshman now has a decision to make regarding his future after losing to Buffalo on Friday. ESPN has Dort projected to be drafted at No. 29 so he could be a player that may ultimately decide to return to school.
Dort can throw his name in the NBA Draft up until April 21 and he has the opportunity to participate in the NBA Draft Combine from May 14-19. College players have until June 10 to withdraw from the draft.
Dort has been compared to Marcus Smart for his physical tools and ability to attack defenses downhill and finish through contact. The video above is one example that that skillset.
Dort began the season off strong after he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week back in November but tailed off a bit during the middle of the year. He bounced back for Arizona State and has played well as of late.
The freshman has been projected to be drafted in the range of the Thunder throughout the season so he could be a prospect to keep an eye on in the weeks leading up to the draft if he keeps his name in the hat.
Tre Jones, Guard – Duke
Jones finds himself going to the Thunder at No. 24 in the latest mock draft from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.
The fit with Jones could be that he brings a different pace than what the Thunder are used to with Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder. With Jones, Vecenie says, the Thunder would have more of a floor general.
Sometimes, it might help them to have more of a floor general out there as opposed to the frenetic energy that Russell Westbrook brings, or the unpredictability of Dennis Schroder.
Jones is averaging 9.3 points, 5.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and two steals per game this season for Duke. The freshman recorded a career-high 18 points on March 16 against Florida State in the ACC Championship Game.
The Blue Devils point guard is not known to be a strong shooter, though. He is hitting just 23.2 percent from distance and went just 1-of-8 on Sunday against UCF.
While he has struggled to shoot, most mock drafts have him in the range of the Thunder although with shooting a pressing need for the team, it is unclear if that will turn off Presti come June.
Brandon Clarke, Forward – Gonzaga
Clarke has completely dominated thus far in the NCAA Tournament and may have even played himself out of the range of the Thunder come draft time.
In 35 games this season, Clarke is averaging 17 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals for Gonzaga. So far in the tournament, the 6-foot-8 forward is putting up 24 points, eight boards and four blocks in two games.
Clarke is coming off of a dominating performance on Saturday against Baylor in which he recorded 36 points, eight rebounds, five blocks, three assists and two steals.
He is widely considered one of the best defensive prospects and is quite efficient on offense. As noted by Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype, Clarke is one of the 10 most accurate players in college at 64.2 percent since the stat was first recorded by Basketball-Reference.
Clarke has certainly impressed thus far in March and has likely helped himself on draft night should he keep his name in the hat. As a defensive-minded player, he could also find himself on the Thunder’s radar.
Clarke and the Bulldogs have Florida State next up on Thursday night.
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With the NCAA Tournament heading into the Sweet 16 this week, most of the prospects on our list are still playing with their respective schools so Thunder fans should have plenty to watch for.
These players have been scouted all season long so some strong performances in the tournament won’t necessarily make or break their NBA Draft stock but they certainly won’t hurt, either.
