Before the 2024 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder made the first big move of the offseason. They sent Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls for Alex Caruso. This trade made a top-five defense even better. Coming into the draft, the Thunder had only one pick at no. 12. Everyone was expecting the Thunder to add a big in the draft as most see that as their biggest need.
However, that was not the case, as they added Serbian guard Nikola Topic at 12. Topic was expected to be a top five or top 10 pick. A late knee injury in April made him fall on draft night as he is expected to miss most if not all of next season. The Thunder did not end the night with just adding Nikola Topic. They traded back into the first round, acquiring no. 26 from the New York Knicks in exchange for five future second round picks. With that pick the Thunder selected forward Dillon Jones out of Weber State.
Thunder Add Two Players in First Round of 2024 Draft
Nikola Topic Fit With The Thunder
Nikola Topic could be one of the biggest steals of this draft class since he was projected to go way higher before the knee injury. For the Thunder to take him at pick 12 is great value, even though he most likely won’t play at all next season. Regardless, Topic is projected to be a Josh Giddey replacement. He is a bigger point guard at 6’6″ with great playmaking skills.
To go along with his playmaking skills, he is a great finisher around the rim and shot 88% from the free throw line. Topic still has areas to improve on, especially his defense and outside shooting. However with his touch around the rim and his free throw percentage, he could very well take a leap from the perimeter. Defensively, he doesn’t have to be a great one-on-one defender with this team. He just needs to be a good team defender.
Nikola Topic gives the Thunder another playmaker with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He gives them the playmaking they lost in Giddey, with better upside in three-point shooting and defense. He will most likely be the leader of the second unit for the Thunder with the potential to play alongside Shai in the starting lineup.
Dillon Jones Fit With The Thunder
Unlike Nikola Topic, Dillon Jones is more of a project player. However, he still adds value to the Thunder as another 6’6″ playmaker. Jones fits the Thunder’s needs at forward. His 6’11” wingspan gives the Thunder versatility to play him at positions 1-4.
To go along with the playmaking, he adds more physicality to the team with a 237-pound frame. He will be very hard for opposing teams to stop when he drives to the rim. Jones will be able to guard multiple positions for the Thunder. He will also help in the rebounding department for the Thunder, as they ranked in the bottom five last year. Even though he is 6’6″, he averaged almost 10 rebounds a game.
There is still room for growth for Jones just like Nikola Topic. He needs to become a more consistent outside shooter, as well as learn to play more off-the-ball. He was asked to do a lot at Weber State and will be playing more off-ball with the Thunder.
The Last Word
With night one in the books, the Thunder will be getting ready for night two which starts today at 4:00 p.m. ET. Even though the Thunder don’t have a second round pick, they have the assets if they want to trade back into the second round to select someone. Still, the Thunder have not addressed their biggest need by adding size. However, with approximately around 30 million in cap space, look for them to address that need in free agency. Finally, with the Thunder adding Caruso, Nikola Topic, and Dillon Jones in the offseason so far, they’ve had a great start to the offseason.
