Over the last few years, Oklahoma City Thunder have shown they are one of the best franchises in the NBA when it comes to drafting and rebuilding. Sure, they have no hardware or rings to show for it, but they have consistently found diamonds in the rough, and built their roster around the draft – very seldomly being able to sign the biggest free agents because of their small market appeal. The Thunder have to consistently win when it matters – the draft, and they did it again. This time, the Thunder won day 2 of the 2024 NBA Draft.
Why the Thunder Won Day Two of the 2024 NBA Draft
The narrative that they are one of the best teams in the league at drafting is true, and they proved it once again, as the Thunder won day two of the 2024 NBA Draft. Day one was great, too, as they got two guys with some pretty decent upside that can be real contributors in 2025. But the second round saw the Thunder get some guys who can also develop into role players.
The key word is develop, but that just so happens to be what the Thunder do best. Yes, with a competitive team, second picks will likely be players on two-way contracts. However, they are players that are great value for where they were selected.
Ajay Mitchell
Let’s start with their first pick, which was at No. 38 overall, and came by way of a trade from the New York Knicks. The Thunder ended up taking Ajay Mitchell, a guard from UC Santa Barbara. Mitchell was the best player in his conference, and that was with him still playing through injuries.
He’s a big, strong guard who excels at creating for his teammates, especially while driving to the rim. He can operate in the pick-and-roll well and is a great pick and role player, two things the Thunder value highly with their play style under head coach Mark Daigneault. Mitchell could be a player the Thunder see on a two-way contract.
Quinten Post
With three guards taken in the draft, the Thunder still needed to address the center position. It was obviously a weakness during the season, as they missed a bigger body to help on the boards. Chet Holmgren was great at times, but the Thunder just needed more. So, they addressed that need, too, at pick No. 52. After trading Lindy Waters to the Golden State Warriors, the Thunder picked up pick No. 52 in the process and used that pick to draft Quinten Post, a 7’1″ center from Boston College, who also can face up to the basket when in the post, and can stretch the floor a bit as well.
The Last Word
The biggest reason the Thunder won Day 2 of the draft is because of the value they got. Mitchell was widely considered as a guy who, by many, should have gone late in the first round, or early in the second round. Post was considered to be a player that a lot of teams wanted early in the second round, or right about where he was taken. Not only that, but the Thunder also addressed some of their biggest needs at the same time. It’s been said a million times, but general manager Sam Presti cannot be beaten.
