Most basketball fans probably aren’t focusing on the NBA Draft right now, especially fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After losing on a last-second shot by Tyrese Haliburton in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, OKC is looking to bounce back and tie the series on Sunday night. While most fans and observers will be focused on the team’s championship efforts, the NBA Draft looms, with a little more than two weeks until the event.
Despite the Thunder’s success this year, the team has managed to secure a pair of first round picks, currently owning No. 15 and No. 24 overall, as well as No. 44 overall in the second round. With their three picks, OKC could try and fill the few holes on the team’s roster after a 68-win regular season.
Still, the team has areas to improve and could turn to the draft to try and address some of the group’s weaknesses.
In a recent mock draft from Matt Brandon at Fantasy Sports on SI, the writer paired Washington State sharpshooter Cedric Coward with OKC at No. 15. Coward played just seven games this season for the Cougars prior to suffering a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the rest of the 2024-25 campaign.
In his lone season at WSU, Coward averaged 17.7 points, seven rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 55.7% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc on five attempts per contest.
Prior to his time at Wasington State, Coward played Division III basketball before transfering to Eastern Washington, where he spent two seasons. Coward shot higher than 38% from 3-point range in each of his two seasons with the Eagles.
To go along with his proven production from deep, Coward measured at 6-foot-5 and a quarter of an inch without shoes while weighing 213 pounds and recording a 7-foot-2 and a quarter of an inch wingspan.
Coward’s size and length give the 21-year-old good defensive upside to go along with his permieter scoring ability, making him an ideal wing role player in the NBA. Coward still needs to improve as a playmaker and tigten his handle, but the Washington State product has enough skills to earn a spot as a valuable rotation player at the next level.
At No. 24 overall, Brandon slotted French big man Joan Beringer to OKC.
An 18-year-old prospect, Beringer averaged 4.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 59.4% from the field in 18.3 minutes per game playing with Cedevita Olimpija in the Adriatic Basketball Association.
Listed at 6-foot-10 and 230 pounds, Beringer reportedly boasts a 7-foot-4 wingspan and could grow into an impressive defender if he continues to develop his game.
Still relatively new to basketball, Beringer’s stats aren’t eye-popping, but the French center has the physical tools to become an NBA role player.
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