Tracking This Year’s NBA Draft: The 5 Best Fits For OKC

Each Wednesday, we’ll be assessing how the top prospects of the 2013 NBA Draft are faring in college and overseas. Stick with us each week for assorted thoughts, including the biggest risers and fallers, the standouts, the sleepers and what we know and don’t know about the next NBA Draft class…

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Well, the rich get richer. The Oklahoma City Thunder are probably drafting in the lottery this summer despite being the second-best team in the Western Conference (check the details on page 2). They had to trade away James Harden to be in this position, but with the eye of Sam Presti overseeing the draft, no matter the perception of the talent ceiling he may find a gem for the future.

Here is the NBA Draft Fast Five.

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ONE: What Do We Know About The Oklahoma City Thunder?
They are great; do we need to elaborate?

Right now the team is built around the trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka on the court and in the salary cap. Starting next season, they will combine for $45,717,082 of the team’s salary cap and that escalates every year for the next four seasons. Those three do all the heavy lifting, while the younger players on the roster — Thabo Sefolosha, Jeremy Lamb, Reggie Jackson, Perry Jones III and this year’s pick — will be complementing pieces.

On both ends of the floor the Thunder are the most complete team in the Western Conference, so the rich get richer this summer.

TWO: What Do They Need?
The only significant loss this summer will likely be that of Kevin Martin unless he takes a major pay cut from the $12.9 million he is making this season. He is one of the major contributors on the league’s second most efficient three-point shooting team. Adding three-point shooting will alleviate the loss of Martin, but they already have Lamb waiting in the wings for that role.

Another potential position of need for the Thunder going forward would be the center position. In today’s NBA that is a lost need, but having a center that fits the team’s personality and make-up can make a team diverse enough to win a championship.

THREE: Stock Rising
Reshaping your body and your game is something not a lot of players have the opportunity to do. This past year, Gonzaga center Kelly Olynyk was afforded just that as he went from a skinny three-point shooter to a legitimate center that can shoot the ball. He has the ability to score inside now with post moves and strength. The shooting is still there, making him a very intriguing prospect in the back half of the first round for a team looking for a stretch four/five.

FOUR: Stock Falling
This is not a fall like some have had this season, but any time you are the consensus No. 1 among scouts and fall to the back half of the top 10, it is noteworthy. After talking to a few scouts and general managers about Cody Zeller, the positives and negatives of his game are universally known, and today he is floating between 5-10 on most draft boards.

Hit page 2 to read about the five best fits in the draft for the Thunder…

FIVE: Quick Hitter
The old adage of taking the best available or the best fit for your team has hindered many franchises and thrust others to the forefront. It is a tough balance as a general manager or scout to take the best available when the prospect does not address a need. But talent is talent.

The best recent example of that was the 2003 NBA Draft when the Detroit Pistons took Darko Milicic over (take your pick) numerous future stars. Add a Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony or Chris Bosh to that team and history is written much differently.

At the time, Milicic was renowned as a “can’t miss” prospect from Europe. He contributed one point in eight games during the championship run and totaled six points in 17 games total for the Pistons in the playoffs.

Flash forward to today and the Thunder have a potential top-10 pick with not a lot of immediate needs. They can reach for a player that fits, or take the best available.

Let the Pistons decision be a cautionary tale for you, Mr. Presti. At the time, Joe Dumars was considered the best general manager in basketball, but even he fell to the misnomer of taking the better fit for his current team, mortgaging the teams’ future for an immediate satisfaction. Again, add a Wade, Anthony or Bosh to the Pistons and history is written a lot differently.

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Top 5 Fits For Oklahoma City Right Now

1. Ben McLemore: 6-5, 185 pounds – Fresh., Kansas
Stats: 16.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 50.1 percent FG, 43.4 percent 3PT
No matter where a team is positioned in the lottery standings, the prospects of getting McLemore are better than most others. He can play some three in the NBA and could be that shooter/athlete between Durant and Westbrook.

2. Alex Len: 7-0 225 pounds – Soph., Maryland
Stats: 11.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.9 BPG, 52.6 percent FG
He is not a shotblocking machine, but Len can play in the paint while Ibaka roams the mid-range, balancing out the offense.

3. Cody Zeller: 6-11, 240 pounds – Soph, Indiana
Stats: 16.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 57.0 percent FG
Zeller runs the floor well, knows his role, and plays within the offense, making him perfect for a team with established stars. He may never be a great defender, but he is smart enough to improve on that end.

4. Otto Porter: 6-8, 200 pounds – Soph., Georgetown
Stats: 16.4 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.0 SPG, 50.2 percent FG
A back-up three of Porter’s caliber would immediately boost the bench play for the Thunder. He gives Durant a rest, can run the offense, and is as unselfish a great player as there is.

5. Shabazz Muhammad: 6-5, 225 pounds – Fresh., UCLA
Stats: 18.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 0.9 APG (24 total), 45.0 percent FG, 41.7 percent 3PT
As a catch-and-shoot offensive player, there are few better than Muhammad and on this type of team that is who he would have to be. Seems like a natural fit.

The Thunder have their core locked up for the foreseeable future, but they have the luxury of drafting a future with what looks like a top-10 pick. Over the past few years, they have drafted Jones III, Jackson and acquired Lamb, giving them the benefit of drafting the best available player when they are on the clock.

*OKC will received Toronto’s own 2013 first-round pick as long as it doesn’t fall in the top three or outside of the lottery (and there’s virtually no way Toronto is making the playoffs)*

Who should OKC draft?

Follow Kristofer on Twitter at @NBADraftInsider.

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