In the Rookie Wire’s post-NBA Draft Lottery mock draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder took a player at No. 25 that fits in well with the style of the usual type of Thunder draft pick.
This mock draft predicted they would select wing Josh Green out of Arizona.
Green is projected to be a 3-and-D wing, and his defense over his sole college year stood out more than his offense.
Highly athletic with a has a 6-foot-10 wingspan and 8-foot-7 standing reach, Green can be expected to be a solid defender against guards and some wings in the league.
Offensively, he had more struggles than expected out of Arizona after being a five-star prospect out of IMG Academy.
Green led his high school basketball powerhouse to a championship with his scoring and athleticism, but some of that failed to translate to college.
From Rookie Wire:
“One of the biggest concerns at the collegiate level was that more than one-third of his field-goal attempts have come from midrange — yet he shot just 30-of-108 (27.8%) on these looks. The 6-foot-6 Green also made fewer than one 3-pointer per game, which is concerning for a wing.”
Granted, that propensity to take midrange looks would go well with the other Thunder guards, who are unafraid to make use of the shot that isn’t as widely used in the modern NBA.
But analytics show being inefficient from midrange is the worst place to be inefficient.
His 3-point shooting percentage in college was solid, but he didn’t take outside looks as often as one would like. Green shot 36.1% from deep on 2.8 looks per game.
Green averaged 12.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists to go with 1.5 steals per game.
Arizona underachieved last year, a surprise after signing two five-star athletes in Green and Nico Mannion.
But Green’s high school history and the tools he shows make it look like he could be a role player in the NBA, even if he doesn’t get to the level where he leads a team the way he did at IMG Academy.
With the No. 53 pick in the mock draft, the Thunder drafted Reggie Perry out of Mississippi State.
As a sophomore, the 6-foot-10 Perry dominated the stat sheet, was one of the top rebounders in his conference and has international experience.
From Rookie Wire:
“Sophomore Reggie Perry averaged 17.4 points with 10.1 rebounds per game. His defensive rebound percentage (25.1%) ranked second-best in the SEC, and his tenure playing for Team USA as the MVP in the U19 World Cup last season will undeniably help his draft stock.”
With starting center Steven Adams having just one year left on his contract, drafting Perry at No. 53 would be a low-risk opportunity to see if he’s a player that could fill minutes at the center spot down the road.
The draft is currently scheduled for Oct. 16, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that that may get pushed back.
[lawrence-related id=436852]
[vertical-gallery id=432035]