The concept of the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder successful their first ever NBA championship appeared like an inconceivable dream because the franchise entered the 2022 NBA Draft. The Thunder had been coming off a 24-58 season that adopted a 22-60 season. They had been armed with the No. 2 choose within the draft as their comfort prize for such a horrible season, and had an extra lottery choose at No. 12 because of the Los Angeles Clippers lacking the playoffs throughout what was purported to be their window for championship rivalry.
Championship groups aren’t inbuilt only one evening, and that continues to be true for the Thunder on the precipice of successful the 2025 NBA Finals. The Thunder wanted to fleece the Clippers within the Paul George deal, assist develop Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into the league MVP, discover hidden gems like Lu Dort (undrafted in 2019), and nail their offseason trades and signings with Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein completely amplifying a proficient core.
But, in the event you needed to level to 1 purpose the Thunder are primed to win the NBA championship and presumably a pair extra over the subsequent 5 years, all of it goes again to what occurred in the course of the 2022 draft. OKC didn’t simply discover a celebrity, they discovered twoand the remaining will quickly be historical past.
The Thunder had been on the mercy of the Orlando Magic with the primary choose in 2022. Most shops projected Orlando to take both Chet Holmgren or Jabari Smith Jr. at No. 1 total. Just one outlet accurately predicted they’d truly take Paolo Banchero, and that was us at SB Nation.
This was the primary sliding doorways second for OKC’s potential dynasty. If Holmgren goes No. 1, the Thunder don’t have an ace rim protector or a stretch 5. If Smith goes No. 1, would the Thunder have taken Banchero over Holmgren?
The Thunder weren’t happy with solely having two lottery picks. When the New York Knicks got here on the clock at No. 11, OKC engineered a commerce that despatched three protected first-round picks to New York for the choice. Their choose? French wing Ousmane Dieng. Dieng has been glued to the top of the Thunder’s bench ever since, by no means cracking 40 video games performed in a season since being drafted.
OKC got here on the clock once more at No. 12. It took an ideal storm of luck for this Clippers choose to land within the lottery as a substitute of the top of the primary spherical. Kawhi Leonard needed to miss the complete season recovering from a torn ACL. Paul George needed to contract Covid in the course of the play-in event, which knocked him out of the lineup. The Thunder rolled the cube on the mid-major wing who had shot up draft boards after a standout efficiency on the mix: Santa Clara’s Jalen Williams.
Not everybody was pumped about it. Right here’s how I graded the choose on the time:
12. Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder – Jalen Williams, G, Santa Clara
Grade: B-
Williams was a three-year faculty participant out of Santa Clara who was the largest winner of the draft mix for his ridiculous measurements and spectacular efficiency within the scrimmages. Williams is a 6’6 wing with an absurd 7’2 wingspan who shot 40 p.c from three-point vary and likewise graded out within the ninetieth percentile of pick-and-roll ball dealing with. The knock on Williams is his lack of elite quickness. Whereas he did publish glorious vertical leaping numbers, he’s somebody who very a lot has to make use of artful dribble strikes to get the place he desires on the ground. Williams’ superior numbers had been worse than you want to for a three-year lottery choose in a mid-major convention, which exhibits the affect of that lack of athleticism in our opinion. Nonetheless, the Thunder want wings and wish capturing, and Williams checks each packing containers. That is sooner than everybody anticipated him to go. Williams can contribute now whereas No. 11 choose Ousmane Dieng develops down the road.
Clearly, I used to be extraordinarily mistaken about Williams, who has turned out to an A+ choose. It’s nonetheless wild that OKC took Dieng forward of him, although possibly they solely did that in case the Knicks deal fell by way of on the final second, and so they at all times most popular J-Dub. We’ll by no means know.
The Thunder discovered one other contributor with the No. 34 total choose early within the second spherical in Arkansas charge-taking grasp Jaylin Williams. He’s been a strong deep bench piece for them ever since who has seen spot responsibility all through this playoff run.
Getting Holmgren and (Jalen) Williams in the identical draft is solely an unbelievable masterstroke by Sam Presti. Presti had already drafted Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden in one other period for the Thunder, and he may need out-done himself with OKC’s 2022 haul. Holmgren and Williams are merely the best co-stars for Gilgeous-Alexander, and it’s attainable all three could be top-10 gamers someday within the close to future.
Is the Thunder’s 2022 draft class the best ever? Right here’s the competitors as we see it for groups who discovered a number of high-level contributors in the identical draft class.
Chicago Bulls 1987: Scottie Pippen (No. 5) and Horace Grant (No. 10)
This feels just like the closest parallel to the Thunder’s 2022 draft. In 1987, the Bulls engineered a legendary commerce with the Seattle Supersonics to maneuver as much as the No. 5 choose and choose Central Arkansas wing Scottie Pippen. The Bulls took Grant out of Clemson with the No. 10 choose a couple of minutes later. Immediately, the Bulls had two splendid co-stars round Michael Jordan, and rode the pairing to a few straight championships from 1991-1993, after which three extra from 1996-1998 even after Grant moved on.
Dallas Mavericks 2018: Luka Doncic (No. 3) and Jalen Brunson (No. 33)
The Doncic for Trae Younger swap will go down as one of the vital notorious draft day offers in league historical past. It’s unbelievable the Mavericks discovered one other All-NBA participant in that very same draft with Brunson within the second spherical. In some way, Dallas has neither star on the roster seven years later. A minimum of Cooper Flagg will make Mavs followers really feel higher.
Golden State Warriors 2012: Harrison Barnes (No. 7), Festus Ezeli (No. 30), Draymond Inexperienced (No. 35)
It’s humorous to do not forget that the Warriors solely tanked one yr on their strategy to a mid 2010s dynasty, and that was for the Harrison Barnes choose. Barnes was a solid-if-frustrating participant for the Warriors, and a key a part of their first 2015 championship staff. The actual gem was in fact Draymond Inexperienced, discovered within the second spherical, who unseated David Lee to begin the dynasty. Ezeli was a pleasant contributor within the entrance court docket for a little bit there, too.
Seattle Supersonics 2008: Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka
Sam Presti’s first unbelievable draft haul helped the Thunder attain the NBA Finals in 2012. Westbrook turned an icon and an MVP in OKC, whereas Ibaka’s capturing and rim safety was method forward of its time.
Cleveland Cavaliers 1986: Brad Daughtery (No. 1), Ron Harper (No. 8), Mark Worth (No. 25)
What a haul this was for the Cavs. Daughtery’s profession was ruined by accidents by his late 20s, however he was nonetheless a five-time All-Star. Harper was a monster scorer earlier than a torn ACL pressured him to reinvent himself. Worth, who was acquired in a draft day commerce with the Mavericks, was one of the vital under-appreciated gamers of his period as a lethal shooter. Too dangerous Cleveland was in the identical convention as peak Michael Jordan, or we’d bear in mind this draft class in another way.
Milwaukee Bucks 1969: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (No. 1), Bob Urjidge (No. 45)
The Bucks gained a coin flip with the Phoenix Suns for the primary choose in 1969, and it delivered them Abdul-Jabbar, who’s at worst the third greatest participant in league historical past. Milwaukee discovered one other Corridor of Famer later within the draft with Dandridge, who scored greater than 15,000 profession factors and helped the staff win the 1971 championship. This actually is perhaps one of the best draft class ever.
What do you assume is one of the best NBA Draft staff class ever? Tell us within the feedback.
