It’s ya boy back with another issue of Ankit’s Cool OKC Newsletter. Since the last issue the 2022 NBA Draft has concluded. This was basically the NBA finals for teams that are tanking and OKC sure hit the jackpot.
In this issue I’ll be talking about who we actually drafted and how they looked during Summer League. I’ll also touch on some things we can hope to expect from them in the coming season. However, it’s really important to not hold rookies (on the Thunder or other teams!) to any expectations super tightly as there will be a lot of growing pains for them!
Hope you all enjoy the read and feel interested in tuning into next year’s Summer League! I had a lot of fun watching during the insane sports drought of the summer. I hope to be able to make a trip out to Vegas Summer League in the coming years to check it out for myself!
Who did we draft?
Chet Holmgren - Gonzaga
Chet Holmgren was selected by the Thunder with their #2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Holmgren is an elite rim protector with fantastic shooting ability who also is able to handle the ball and make passes based on what the defense gives him. So what can’t he do? He’s skinny as hell!!! But let me tell you - he got that dawg in him 😤😤😤.
If you want to read my more in depth thoughts about Chet, check out the last issue!
Ousmane Dieng - New Zealand Breakers
Ousmane Dieng was selected #11 in the 2022 NBA Draft via trade with the New York Knicks. The Thunder gave up:
2023 Denver first round pick - top 14 in 2023-25, else 2025+2026 second round picks
2023 Detroit first round pick - top 18 in 2023-24, top 13 in 2025, top 11 in 2026, top 9 in 2027, else 2027 second round pick
2023 Washington first round pick - top 14 in 2023, top 12 in 2024, top 10 in 2025, top 8 in 2026, else 2026+2027 second round picks
At first it seems like quite a bit to give up for the #11 pick in this draft, however due to some of the steep protections on two of the picks, it’s really not as valuable as it seemed. The Denver pick will likely convey in the 20s next year as the Nuggets continue to aspire for a title while the other two picks are basically limited to being a late lottery pick at best (at some point in time).
Dieng is a 6’10 forward who projects to be a fluid and versatile wing. He had an up and down season in the NBL last year starting off with a very rocky first half of the season, but he started to put his game together quite nicely in the latter half of the season. He has the ability to handle the ball and create for his teammates, operate the pick and roll, and has good shooting form (though his accuracy doesn’t reflect that yet). On top of this, he has great defensive instincts which paired with his size should make him an effective defender. Ousmane is so young, I think he just needs a ton of reps to continue to improve his game. However I don’t know if he’s ready to be in the NBA (for the whole season), and I expect that he will spend a good chunk of time (maybe in multiple spurts) in the G-League similar to Tre Mann, JRE and Wiggins last year.
Jalen Williams - Santa Clara
Thanks to the Timberwolves and Pelicans, the very hyped 2023 Clippers pick jumped from #15 to #12 in this year’s draft as the Clippers missed the playoffs. With this pick we selected Jalen Williams from Santa Clara. I had heard that he was rising up draft boards late in the draft process, but I didn’t really think that we would end up drafting him.
JDub is a 6’6 forward with a 7’1 wingspan which is the exact type of build that the New Age Thunder are looking for. The interesting thing about JDub is he was a 5’10 point guard until his Junior/Senior year in high school where he grew 8 inches super quickly. As a result, he grew up playing a lot of point guard in high school and continued that in college. A super big and long ball handler is exactly the type of player Presti has been drafting. On top of that, Jalen Williams is probably the first guy in OKC history to be drafted outside the top 5 and is a GREAT shooter. JDub shot 50-40-80 in his Junior Year at SCU with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists a game. I expect Jalen Williams to plug in very nicely into this OKC team and should get minutes as part of the rotation from day 1.
Jaylin Williams - Arkansas
Strangely enough, I have come to write about yet another “Jalen”: Jaylin Williams (aka JWill), a 6’10 center from Arkansas drafted with OKC’s 34th pick during the second round. Like I mentioned in last month’s issue, I didn’t really do much scouting on guy’s drafted in the second round. Luckily I caught the Gonzaga vs Arkansas game during March Madness which gave some insight into his playstyle. He’s a hustle player who prides himself in taking charges (enough that he set the record for a season at Arkansas!) who also throws a nifty pass every now and again.
Overall, I don’t have many expectations for JayWill. It’s pretty likely that he will spend a lot of time in the G-League developing his skills and if everything works out, I think he can be an okay big off the bench to give guys like Chet and JRE some rest.
Also, if you haven’t gotten a chance to see his draft party, I’d recommend checking out this funny and wholesome content!
How did they do in Summer League?
Chet Holmgren
Stats (5 games): 14 ppg – 8.4 rpg – 3.4 apg – 1.8 spg – 2.8 bpg
Chet Holmgren is the crème de la crème of our draft. He was the #1 player on my big board, not only because of his immense talent and potential, but also because of his ability to fill an incredible position of need in the front court as a center.
Chet’s impact on the team was immediate from game 1 and was basically as advertised on both offense and defense. He immediately slotted in as a dominant rim protector tallying 14 blocks and 9 steals across 5 games and more importantly made a strong impact on opponent’s ability to make shots:
Concerns around Chet’s slight frame did come to light - especially vs Memphis’ Kenneth Lofton Jr. This was not unexpected and despite stronger players like Lofton moving Chet around, the majority of players driving to the rim not only missed a fair number of shots, but many simply didn’t attempt shots at the rim. This ability to protect the rim will translate to the NBA, and even though there may be some growing pains, Chet has proven that he hasn’t let that stop him from making an impact defensively.
Offensively, Chet brought a completely new dynamic to the OKC Thunder. For the first time in the Thunder’s existence, the Thunder were able to play a truly 5 out offense! Chet’s ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter forced defenders to not cheat off him which left ample room in the paint for players to drive and cut into. On top of that, Chet is simply a great shooter making 8/19 of his 3 point shots as a center which provides a solid (and arguably our best?) 3 point shooting option for guys like Giddey to kick the ball out to. What was truly incredible to watch was to see Chet’s ability to handle the ball. Chet would frequently block a shot or rebound the ball and immediately grab the ball to lead the break. The great benefit of this is that when Chet leads the break - it forces his defender (usually the rim protector) to not be able to run back to the paint as Chet is not afraid to pull up for a transition 3 or beat slower guys off the dribble. In the scenarios where someone else picks Chet up in transition, Chet has shown excellent court vision and is able to find the mismatch and get the ball to his teammate to keep the pressure up in transition.
Chet is a true game changer for the Thunder, and I’m incredibly excited to see him grow and develop this season. He adds so many layers to the team’s offense AND defense which will help to bring out new facets in the games’ of other young stars like Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Ousmane Dieng
Stats (5 games): 8.8 ppg – 4.8 rpg – 1.2 apg – 0.6 spg – 0.2bpg
Ousmane’s Summer League was very up and down. You could see the flashes of his potential with his smooth moves and ginormous frame, but he needs to take another step which puts him over the edge to become a truly dynamic player.
Dieng’s ability to finish through contact at the rim was an obvious weakness. Despite being able to get into the paint from the perimeter very easily, Ousmane struggled to take that (literal) last step in the paint to get right to the rim and settled for floaters quite a bit. Another point of improvement is his shooting. His 3 jumpshot form looks pretty good and he gets it off pretty effortlessly, however he didn’t make very many shots. This may be a combination of nerves, lack of practice and general experience. Nonetheless, it will be crucial for his success in the NBA to have a consistent outside game.
Dieng is very much a prospect and will get a lot of minutes in the G-League to help him develop. Playing on the OKC Blue will also give him more chances to run the offense which is something he didn’t get much of an opportunity to do this Summer. On top of that, the lower level of competition should help him play through mistakes and build his confidence.
Jalen Williams
Stats (7 games): 11.71 ppg – 3.29 rpg – 2 apg – 1.43 spg – 0.57 bpg
JDub was nothing short of impressive during summer league. OKC had Jalen Williams play off the ball for most of Summer League which was a direct contrast to his career at SCU. Jalen Williams was incredible nonetheless.
Williams’s ability to cut to the basket and use his long arms and explosiveness to dunk over defenders was absurdly impressive. On top of that, he shot a solid 5/13 from the 3 point line (38.5%), which despite the small sample size, falls roughly in line with how he shot the 3 in his last year at Santa Clara. This paired with his great free throw shooting in college (80%) makes me feel comfortable with his ability to space the floor. Presti has FINALLY drafted an athletic wing who can shoot after soooo many years!!! 😭😭😭
In the last game of Summer League, Jalen got some run as the lead guard where he was able to drop a nice 6 assists. I believe that JDub will continue to flex his creation ability during the season as a tertiary option when our main creators are on the bench. Not that 1 Summer League game is the only proof, but his 7 combined years of being a point guard in high school and college has taught him many skills that he will be able to use in the NBA.
Defensively, JDub was very solid and versatile. The latter being very key for the Thunder’s scheme. His size and length gives him the ability to guard people from 1 through 4. The Thunder had him guard a variety of guards and wings throughout summer league, even at times having them guard the other team’s best player. However, like many rookies (especially in Summer League), JDub struggled to defend without fouling at times. I’m not too concerned as many young NBA players are still trying to learn how the game is called and played.
Overall, Jalen Williams was very polished and effective in his play during Summer League and I fully expect him to be a big part of the rotation this coming season and will hopefully be a part of this team for years to come. His skillset is exactly what the Thunder have been looking for: size, length, versatility, decision making and shotmaking. He’s a sneaky good player who could develop into one of the better players of this draft and I am very excited to watch him play this season.
Jaylin Williams
Stats (7 games): 3.57 ppg - 5.57 rpg - 3 apg - 0.57 spg - 0.25 bpg
JayWill’s summer league performance confirmed a lot of my expectations of him. He is very much a traditional big with some passing ability who is willing to shoot a 3, but not very good at it. His ability to take charges was very apparent, but not very successful due to him still trying to adjust to NBA caliber speed and referee-ing. Offensively, he didn’t really show too much besides combining for 12 assists which was honestly quite surprising. I think this passing ability is what convinced Presti to make this pick as OKC moves to a ball-movement centric offense with 5 decision makers on the court.
Like I said earlier, I think Jaylin still has a lot of work to do before he locks in a roster spot, but I do believe OKC is willing to invest in his development to see how far he goes. Some things he needs to work on include: shooting, finishing through contact and defending without fouling. A long G-League stint will likely do wonders for him as he’ll be able to learn the OKC scheme while playing against lower levels of competition.
Conclusion
This past draft led to the Thunder acquiring 4 players who all look to fit the New Age Thunder style. Sam Presti has made it obvious that this is the way that the league is moving and has doubled down on players with great size and decision making. I expect Chet and JDub to earn spots in the NBA rotation and show off their talents in the league, while Ousmane and JayWill should get a lot of time in the G-League to develop their skills and look to be a more consistent part of the Thunder rotation in the following season. Part of a rebuild is making big bets and giving them time to pan out, and OKC has a couple years worth of runway to let these guys grow.
Though I am excited about all 4 of our recent draftees, I can’t stress enough how important it was to draft Chet Holmgren. No matter how good the other 3 guys are or aren’t, hitting on your high draft picks is how you build a contender! Your other picks are just icing on the cake. Chet looks to be everything I hoped for and I expect him to have a great career on the Thunder.
If you have any thoughts about anything I wrote, feel free to reach out on Twitter @ankitpancakes! I also made this little survey to gather feedback on this newsletter!
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