On Friday, the Oklahoma City Blue took on the G League Ignite, a team that features some elite NBA prospects who decided to take a different route than college.
That same day, a mock draft had the Thunder selecting one of those players who faced off against OKC’s G League affiliate.
For The Win’s Bryan Kalbrosky has the Thunder selecting Jalen Green with the No. 6 pick in the NBA draft.
Green was one of the best players at the high school level, recognized by prominent outlets as he dominated his programs and played on national USA teams. After his first G League game, Ignite coach Brian Shaw said he wanted to see improvement, and he got that. Green posted 21 against the Blue.
Kalbrosky writes:
Green is a three-time FIBA Junior Team gold medalist who won tournament MVP at the U17 World Cup in 2018. Even if the jitters may have slowed him down in his pro debut, it was still encouraging to see him bounce back in the second half against the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Green is hyper-athletic, but he also has good basketball qualities and instincts to go along with that physical attribute. He’s a great shooter, an able ball handler and facilitator, and looks like someone who will be able to fit into the wing group of any team.
Ultimately, he has all of the physical traits necessary to stand out as a top prospect, and he is a likely candidate to hear his name called early on draft night.
With the Miami Heat’s pick at No. 9 overall, the Thunder took Florida State forward Scottie Barnes in the mock draft.
Kalbrosky wrote:
Oklahoma City’s front office, led by Sam Presti, has typically valued defense and athleticism. Their draft history suggests that they believe that they can teach shooting, which is how they were able to develop players like Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka.
Florida State’s Scottie Barnes is a perfect player for that mold. Scouts have long celebrated the 6-foot-9 prospect’s defensive mentality, and while his jumper needs serious work, he has an incredible feel for the game. He isn’t even the primary ball handler for his team but his assist percentage currently ranks as the second-best among all high-major freshmen.
Those assist numbers along with the defensive attitude would certainly go along with the Thunder’s positionless mantra. Overall, Barnes has averaged 10.5 points, 4.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game for Florida State this season.
With Green listed at 6 feet, 5 inches and Barnes at 6 feet, 9 inches, the Thunder would get a pair of versatile players who have good size should this be their first-round route.
