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The Oklahoma City Thunder selected a sleeper pick with an immense amount of athleticism with their first-round pick in the Rookie Wire’s updated 2020 mock draft on Thursday.
Duke guard Cassius Stanley, who has the highest vertical leap in program history, was taken by the Thunder with the No. 25 pick.
Stanley is often projected as a second-round pick, but his abilities give him first-round potential and his athleticism fits the mold of Thunder prospects. From writer Bryan Kalbrosky:
“(Stanley) is more than just an insane vertical leaper. He also considers himself to be a combo guard who can push the break with ease for strong finishes in transition. He shot almost 50% on 3-pointers taken from the corner, per Synergy Sports, and 43.8% on 3-pointers off the catch.”
An athletic 6-foot-6 3-point shooter? How could he fall so far down the draft?
There are some areas that Stanley needs to improve upon.
First off, while his shooter percentages were good, he only attempted three shots from 3-point range per game and averaged 1.1 makes. Stanley also only averaged one assist per game, and his playmaking needs work if the team that drafts him hopes he will be a secondary ballhandler.
His size and athleticism give him the potential to be a good defender, but he has yet to show consistent skill on that end of the court.
If Oklahoma City selects him, the organization would have to hope that he would be able to reflect his high school days, when he won back-to-back California high school state championships at Sierra Canyon as one of the primary scorers, in the pros.
Stanley isn’t a sure bet, but he has the size, athleticism and glimmers of shooting that show potential.
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