The Oklahoma City Thunder have had a handful of mock drafts recommend taking Washington wing Jaden McDaniels.
Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo went with a different Husky: center Isaiah Stewart.
Stewart, listed at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, averaged 17.0 points and 8.8 rebounds for Washington while shooting 58% from the field last season.
Woo writes:
“Stewart’s energy, toughness and physicality make him a good fit for the Thunder here, and although he’s more of a traditional garbage-man type up front, his strong intangibles make it unlikely he falls out of the first round. He’s big, long, and willing to do the dirty work, and even though Washington had a disappointing season, he was productive.”
In drafting a center with the No. 25 pick, the Thunder would have a replacement for Nerlens Noel, who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
They could also take a look at Stewart to see if he can be a replacement for Steven Adams once the longtime Thunder center’s contract expires following the 2020-21 season.
One interesting thing to watch for once Stewart starts his NBA career: Stewart shot above 40% from 3 in his senior year of high school, but at Washington, he only attempted 20 shots from deep.
“Stewart should be able to make an impact as a low-maintenance rotation piece, particularly if he starts to shoot better from outside, and he’s the type of guy worth betting on to make the most of his ability.”
In the second round of Woo’s mock draft, Oklahoma City got a player some project to be a late-first-round pick.
Syracuse wing Elijah Wings was there at No. 53 in Woo’s mock, so the Thunder snagged him.
Hughes averaged 19 points per game last season, leading the ACC in scoring. He knocked down 34% of his 3s, which is not excellent, but he took them at such a high rate (7.1 per game) and had such high usage that he projects to be better from deep than his final year.
In 2018-19, Hughes made 36.9% of his 3s while attempted 6.9 per game.
If he can last until No. 53, Oklahoma City could get a very usable option at wing to spread the floor better than any other at that position currently on the roster.
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