Oklahoma City Thunder Draft Review

21. Mitch McGary, F/C Michigan So. (6-10, 250)
The Thunder value intangibles like motor and toughness as much as any franchise in the NBA and this draft really showed that. With both of their picks, they targeted un-flashy players who contribute in ways outside of scoring. McGary is actually most similar to current Thunder forward Nick Collison; rebounding on both ends, playing great help defense, passing, finishing around the basket, and hitting mid-range jumpers. McGary probably has more upside than Collison, but if they is all he becomes it would be well worth a late first round pick. The reason McGary fell, probably too far, were concerns about a back injury and a short track record of success. Collison will be a free agent at the end of next season, at which point McGary will take his place. Or, if Kendrick Perkins is amnestied or traded, he could backup Steven Adams at center.

29. Josh Huestis, G/F Stanford Sr. (6-8, 230) 
This pick confused me at first, Josh Huestis was off my radar some, but on further review it makes sense. Huestis is an excellent defender, an elite athlete with long arms and a high basketball IQ which makes his defensive ability play up even more. Down the road he could become one of the best defenders in the league. It is the offense that is the question, the last two seasons he shot .338% from 3, which is better than Jimmy Butler has shot last season. Butler is probably the best comp for Huestis, college Seniors who are great athletes, defense first, can make jumpshots, and contribute offensively due to their smarts and hustle. Maybe Huestis was a reach, but as a replacement to Thabo Sefolosha, which the Thunder need, he makes a lot of sense.

Projected Lineup
PG: Russell Westbrook/Reggie Jackson
SG: Jeremy Lamb/Josh Huestis
SF: Kevin Durant/Andre Roberson/Perry Jones
PF: Serge Ibaka/Nick Collison/Mitch McGary
C: Kendrick Perkins/Steven Adams

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NBA Draft: Mitch McGary Scouting Report

Measurements
Age: 21; Height: 6-10; Weight: 255; Wingspan: 6-11.5; Reach: 8-11.5

Season Stats (as of 2/23)
24.6 mpg, 9.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.9 spg, 0.8 bpg, 1.6 tpg, 3.1 fpg, .545 FG, .667 FT, N/A 3P

Strengths
-Prototypical height/weight for a power forward
-Strong, particularly in the upper body
-Good athlete, gets off the ground fast
-Quick and fairly fluid for a big guy
-Runs the floor well
-Great hands
-Decent mid-range shooter
-Makings of a post game
-Finishes well in a variety of ways
-Good ball handler
-Comfortable distributing
-High energy defensive player
-Good help defender, shot blocker
-Creates turnovers
-Excellent rebounder, particularly offensively
-Physical
-Plays very hard on both ends

Weaknesses
-Average length
-A good athlete, but not a special one
-Lacks polish overall on offense
-Not a great free throw shooter
-Just an average shot blocker
-Foul prone
-Short track record of success
-History of conditioning issues
-Had a season ending back injury
-Made rep against younger players in high school
-Old for a Sophomore, 22 on draft night

NBA Comparison
During McGary's NCAA Tournament, they hype on him got somewhat out of hand. However, if he can recover from his back injury I can see him easily developing into a valuable forward like Nick Collison, who rebounds, passes, plays great defense, and can hit an occasional jumper.

Draft Projection
The severity of the back injury is the biggest question mark on his draft standing. If healthy, I could see him going any where in the back half of the first round. However, with such a question hanging over his head it's hard to see him going as high as Jared Sullinger (21) because he is older, not as good, and in a deeper draft than Sullinger.

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