11. Oklahoma City Thunder – Nick Smith Jr., G, Arkansas
You can make the argument that there hasn’t been a prospect that has seen his NBA Draft stock fall more this season than Nick Smith Jr. At the beginning of this collegiate season, you could make the argument that he was going to be a top 5 pick, at the least, after his freshman campaign. Now, there are NBA Mock Drafts that have Smith falling completely out of the lottery. At least for now, I don’t buy that completely. He has certainly fallen a bit but I don’t believe that he’s not going to be a lottery pick.
There’s no question that Smith had a freshman season at Arkansas to forget. But that shouldn’t discount his talent. He is a top 5 talent that is likely going to be selected outside the top 10 in this year’s NBA Draft. If that’s not a potential steal of the draft, I’m not sure what is. And the Oklahoma City Thunder should be willing to make that gamble.
The Thunder has a bright future and already has a solid foundational core. Any other significant addition in this year’s NBA Draft is simply icing on their cake. OKC has a bright future and Smith (if he develops) could end up being a big part of that.