New B/R mock draft has Thunder taking center Isaiah Stewart at No. 25

Stewart started all 28 games for the Huskies as a freshman, averaging 16.9 points and 8.5 rebounds in 32.2 minutes per game.

Even under the best of circumstances, there are always a multitude of questions leading up to the NBA Draft.

And this year is anything but the ideal scenario.

For the moment, the NBA Draft is still on schedule for June 25, but who will be entering the draft and how those players will be adequately evaluated remains up in the air.

Which makes accurately projecting the upcoming draft that much more difficult.

In his most recent mock version, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic had the Oklahoma City Thunder taking Arizona freshman guard, Josh Green, with the No. 25 overall pick. However, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report sees Sam Presti going in a different direction – taking the freshman center out of Washington, Isaiah Stewart, at No. 25.

Stewart made a strong final statement in the Pac-12 tournament game against Arizona, scoring a season-high 29 points with a three-pointer. There isn’t anything sexy about his post-up-heavy attack, but it’s easy to picture Stewart contributing right away with his powerful 250-pound frame, effort and hands around the basket.

Wasserman only projected to the first round, so there’s no additional insight as to who the Thunder might take with their second-round selection.

As for Stewart, the 6-foot-9, 250-pound freshman played and started in all 28 games for the Huskies this season. He averaged 16.9 points and 8.5 rebounds in 32.2 minutes per game and scored in double-digits in all but two games.

He shot a respectable 56.2% from the floor and 77% from the free-throw line, where he hit 134 of his 174 attempts.

Check out some of his highlights:

Skylar Mays linked to Thunder in new mock NBA Draft projection

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has Oklahoma City taking the senior guard out of LSU late in the second round with the No. 51 overall pick.

In his latest mock NBA Draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic had Oklahoma City selecting Arizona freshman guard, Josh Green, with the No. 25 overall pick.

In addition to adding Green in the first round, Vecenie has Oklahoma City picking up 6-foot-4 senior guard Skylar Mays out of LSU late in the second round with the No. 51 overall pick.

Mays is an experienced guard who started the final 69 games of his collegiate career, helping the Tigers to their first SEC regular-season title in a decade in 2019.

He was also a two-time All-SEC selection during his time in Baton Rouge, earning first-team honors in his final season.

According to Vecenie, Mays is an intriguing pick because of his ability as an “offensive creator on the perimeter” coupled with his reputation as LSU’s “most consistent performer”.

He averaged 16.7 points, five rebounds and 3.2 assists while sharing the lead duties with JaVonte Smart. He’s a smart, efficient finisher both inside and outside, making 49 percent of his overall shots and 39 percent from 3. Mays is also a good defensive player, although he’s not quite as big as you want your role players to be on the wing. The idea here is combo guard off the bench who can fill a lot of different roles. You need a guy who can play next to a big initiator as the point guard? Mays can do that. You need a 2-guard next to a true point? Mays can do that, too. His versatility is useful.

In a 91-90 overtime loss at No. 11 Auburn back in February, Mays went for 30 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds.

Check out some of his highlights: