The Oklahoma City Thunder are battling their way back to what they hope will be another, albeit more successful, trip to the NBA finals. But regardless of how this season turns out for the Thunder they have certainly identified a roster weakness. The playoff season in the NBA is so often about role players and lesser-knowns elevating their game at the right time and propelling their team to championship glory. For the Thunder their offense is so heavily predicated on Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant going one-on-one that the offense has become too stagnant at times and far too predictable.
One can be certain that the Thunder will be taking their 21st overall draft pick very seriously as this team and franchise has been built almost exclusively through the NBA Entry Draft. Durant, Westbrook were both drafted into the organization and so was Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson and most recently Steven Adams. In addition to these picks the Thunder also drafted the now departed James Harden and Eric Bledsoe.
It is the aforementioned Harden however who played that pivotal role with the Thunder as the great equaliser on the offensive end. Harden was the bench sparkplug that allowed for the scoring load to be lessened off Westbrook and Durant’s shoulders. Perhaps even more importantly it was Harden who earned the trust of Durant and Westbrook that inevitably compelled ball movement and extra passes.
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The Thunder continue to look and shop for that Harden-like player. They had Kevin Martin on the roster during the 2012-13 season and although he played pretty well, Martin left Oklahoma for a better contract in Minnesota. The Thunder continue to have a true need for a shooting guard and they will likely take another stab at finding one here in the draft.
There will likely be some interesting prospects still sitting on the board by the time that the Thunder are on the clock but among the best of the rest they need to focus squarely on getting some help for their dynamic duo of Westbrook and Durant.
In assessing the talent at the shooting guard spot the top three prospects are Garry Harris, Nik Stauskas and James Young. Stauskas is the most consistent shooting option here; however, he is the least athletic and likely has the least upside and potential of the trio. Given the need and desire among NBA teams for good shooters, it is entirely possible that all three will be off the board before the Thunder step to the podium.
This probably wouldn’t be a terrible predicament to be in as the Thunder could easily tab the Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic with this pick. Bogdan is a 6’6” shooting guard with a ridiculous 6’11” wing span. He is a very versatile player who has solid exposure against top-tier International players as well as some from the NBA. He is the top-ranked international prospect heading into this draft although despite that he still figures to be available for teams near the end of the first round.
Bogdanovic would require a contract buyout for him to come the Association. This little contract hiccup could actually benefit the Thunder greatly as they could stash him in Serbia for another season and let him get better and stronger without having to pay him or use up a roster spot. Either way Bogdan could be a very compelling pick here for the Thunder.
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