There are a few players who have become commonplace to see as suggestions for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer is among this group of analysts. In his newest mock draft Wednesday, he projected Oklahoma City to take Jaden McDaniels.
The University of Washington forward has oft been linked to the Thunder as analysts point to his upside that could come with proper development, development that may take time.
O’Connor wrote:
“Any team that drafts McDaniels will need to be patient. The Thunder can afford to since they’re about to enter a rebuild.”
McDaniels came into Washington as a five-star prospect and averaged 13 points and about six rebounds per game, but his shooting percentages were low and he had more turnovers than assists in almost every game. He also had four fouls or fouled out in almost half the games this season.
With his 6-foot-9 height and wingspan around seven feet to go with ball handling upside, though, he’s as intriguing a prospect as anyone in the draft.
From O’Connor:
“Excellent ball handler for his size with nifty side-to-side moves that help him get into pull-up jumpers out of the pick-and-roll. He has deep range, and is also comfortable launching from midrange.”
If McDaniels can live up to those areas specifically and put on weight to help him guard stronger players, he absolutely has NBA upside. The Thunder, whose power forward Danilo Gallinari is a free agent, could take a chance with the 19-year-old.
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