NBA Mock Draft 4.0: Pistons make bold selection at No. 1; Blazers trade into top 3

The Portland Trail Blazers shake up the top 5 with a bold trade in our latest NBA Mock Draft.
Garden Classic - Duke v Baylor
Garden Classic - Duke v Baylor / Lance King/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
15 of 30
Next

15. Oklahoma City Thunder (via HOU) - Stephon Castle, G, UCONN

With a second first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, OKC could look to a prospect with a bit more potential than production. In a play toward more upside, Stephon Castle could be in play for the Thunder with the first pick outside the lottery. Castle hasn't played much in his freshman season at UCONN but he's shown flashes of potential in the few games that he has participated in. Eight games into this college career, Castle is averaging nine points, four rebounds, and three assists per game on 51 percent shooting from the field.

At this point, it's almost impossible to predict how scouts will define Castle as a prospect. He hasn't flashed much in terms of a high-scoring guard and has struggled mightily with his 3-point shot. He has great size at 6-foot-6 and his athelticism on the defensive end of the floor is certainly encouraging. Unless he gets a lot more run in the second half of the season, Castle's pre-draft process is likely going to make or break his draft stock.

The Thunder taking a flier on Castle, banking on his upside, wouldn't be that surprising to see at this point in the draft.