Oklahoma City Thunder: NBA Draft Grade

We all saw towards the end of the season how the Thunder just didn’t have enough role players to get over the hump and beat the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. With two first-round picks in the this year’s draft, the Thunder had a chance to improve their roster.

With their two picks, Nos.21 and 29, they selected Michigan’s Mitch McGary and Stanford’s Josh Huestis. The two will be asked to be role players as the Thunder move forward in trying to achieve their ultimate goal, and NBA championship.

Let’s take a look at the two prospects.

Mitch McGary, C

McGary only played eight games this season at Michigan. He was originally sidelined with a nagging back injury that eventually required surgery and then faced a suspension for marijuana use that would have wiped out his 2014-15 season.

There are certainly question marks surrounding the big man. However, there is no question how hard McGary plays.

He is a high energy guy who has no problem banging down low or sprinting the floor for a transition dunk. He really made a name for himself in the 2013 NCAA tournament, where he was dominant in helping the Wolverines reach the title game.

He averaged 14.3 points per game along with 10.7 rebounds in a six-game stretch. He constantly outworked opponents, recording three or more offensive rebounds in four of the six games, and was on a fast track to becoming a lottery pick.

However, he stayed in school and his stock fell.

I envision the Thunder using McGary in a similar role to what Nick Collison has been for the team. A smart, good passing big man, who is going to play his tail off for 20-25 minutes a game.

Collison was much more polished in college, but McGary already has a ton of work playing the pick n’ roll with an elite college guard (Trey Burke). On 16.7 percent of his possessions he was the roll man in the two-man game, the most of any center in the NCAA, according to Draft Express.

He should be able to hop in and be serviceable in the pick n’ roll from day one.

I have concerns about McGary. The back injury is certainly something to be worried about, but it appears healthy as of now.

I am not worried about the marijuana use too much because he is coming into a winning culture and let’s face it, college kids make mistakes. However, I am worried about him not being very effective except for six games in his college career.

He only scored 12 or more points five times in the other 41 games.  Those six games made him a lot of money.

With that said, he’s not going to be asked to do too much. If he plays hard, runs the floor, and is solid on the defensive end, he will help the Thunder next season.

Josh Huestis, SF

Huestis was somewhat of a surprise pick in the first round. Most mock drafts had him projected to be a mid-second round pick.

Huestis is known for his defense and rightfully so. He is by all accounts an excellent wing defender.

At 6-foot-8 and with a 38.5-inch max vertical, Huestis is long and an excellent athlete. He was a three-time All-Pac 12 defender at Stanford.

He averaged 11.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. He is the all-time leader in blocks at Stanford.

He does it all on the defensive end. He made No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins look nonexistent when the two met in the NCAA tournament. He held Wiggins to four points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field as the Cardinal upset the Jayhawks.

Huestis looks like a future replacement for Thabo Sefolosha. Huestis is a similar type of player in that he excels on the defensive end and can guard multiple positions.

Huestis is more of a versatile defender and will be able to play small ball power forward because of his unique ability to block shots and protect the rim. He also has a knack for the ball, recording the most career offensive rebounds in the Pac-12 since 1997-98.

He shot 33.8 percent from 3-point land and will have to improve that to make a true impact. We saw how Sefolosha couldn’t even get on the floor in the Western Conference Finals because he couldn’t score.

Huestis will have to look to expand his offensive game in the next couple years.

Overall

The more I think about, the more I like the Huestis pick more than McGary because Huestis is really good at one thing while McGary is average at a lot of things. I usually prefer the specialist.

I would have liked to see the Thunder get a 3-and-D guy like P.J. Hairston or Cleanthony Early. Neither of these guys are improving the Thunder’s lopsided offense next season.

That is concerning. But these two players are hard workers, who fit the Thunder’s winning culture and will find ways to help the team.

Grade: B