The 2023 NBA draft lottery is officially over, as it confirmed the Oklahoma City Thunder will pick No. 12 in the first round of the draft.
It’s also draft combine week, which means all of the top prospects are gathered in Chicago, Ill. This means that most players will likely be asked who they’ve worked out and met with so far.
According to BSO’s Daniel Bell, the Thunder plan on meeting with Eastern Michigan forward Emoni Bates in the near future for a pre-draft visit and workout.
Emoni Bates knows Chet and played against each other. Knows his game and would love to play next to him, JDub, Giddey, Dort, SGA, and others pic.twitter.com/cmx2WPPJCT
— The Daniel Bell© (@BasketballGuruD) May 19, 2023
Most know Bates’ story by now. After being one of the most highly-touted high school prospects ever, the 19-year-old struggled in his first season at Memphis in 2021-22, which forced him to transfer to Eastern Michigan.
In 30 games last season, Bates averaged 19.2 points on 40.5% shooting, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He also shot 33% from 3 on 7.7 attempts.
While he never developed into the blue-chip prospect most thought he would, Bates could be a nice second-round gamble. For the Thunder, they’ll likely get a shot to draft him at No. 37.
The 2023 NBA draft is scheduled to happen on Thursday, June 22. A full list of prospects who’ve met with the Thunder can be read here.
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