13. Oklahoma City Thunder – Jett Howard, F, Michigan
Even if the Oklahoma City Thunder doesn’t end up making the NBA Play-In Tournament or the playoffs, this is a team that is emerging and heading in the right direction. And with another lottery pick, I firmly believe that the expectation heading into next season will be for this team to make a big step forward. One interesting player that I believe is better than his draft stock indicates at the moment is Jett Howard.
Howard does a bit of it all. He is an underrated playmaker and has the chance to truly blossom in the NBA. He’s coming off a season in which he averaged 14 points per game on 37 percent shooting from 3-point range. You can make the argument that the Thunder is somewhat loaded in the frontcourt but at this point, OKC wants to just load up on all the talent that they could get.
OKC is on the rise and this is a team that could emerge as a dangerous threat next season. Especially if one of their other young players is able to take a tangible step forward heading into next year.