Round 2 Takes from Matt Ravis | @mattravis on X
The Thunder were able to trade into Round 2 to draft Ajay Mitchell, a guard from UC Santa Barbara, at 38th overall. Mitchell is Belgian born – his father played professional basketball in Belgium.
The Thunder’s route to the 38th pick was circuitous. First, they traded for no. 52 from Golden State, giving the Warriors Lindy Waters III. Then, they moved up from no. 52 to no. 40 (originally Portland’s pick) before swapping that pick for no. 38 with the Knicks.
Essentially: they flipped Lindy Waters and some cash for Ajay Mitchell.
Mitchell has good size at 6-3 with a 6-6 wingspan. He averaged 20 points his final season at UCSB, shooting 50% from the field, 39% from three, and 86% from the free throw line. His sophomore year, he shot just 27% from three, so the Thunder seem to be banking on his improvement shooting-wise. His free throw percentage started at 75% his first year, then 81% his second, showing steady improvement each year.
The knock on Mitchell seems to mostly be in his athleticism. His vertical was 20th out of 25 measured guards at the combine (33.5”), and he measured relatively low in the agility drills. I’m more worried about the impact his lack of athleticism impacting his defense than offense. His passing skills also seem to be coming along – he averaged 4 assists to 2.6 turnovers his last season at UCSB.
Mitchell appears to be crafty with a good blend of size and change of direction. It’s low risk for the Thunder based on what they gave up. As a rookie at a deep position for the Thunder, the path to playing time is tough to see, though we’ve seen guys in this spot succeed with the Thunder before. I am assuming he will be on a two-way deal and spending time with the Blue.
Round 1 Takes from Matt Ravis | @mattravis on X
The first round of the draft is over, and the Thunder have acquired two players: the Serbian guard, Nikola Topic, at 12, and Weber State’s Dillon Jones. Oklahoma City traded for the 26th overall pick, sending out five second-rounders to New York to draft Jones, a forward with ball skills.
NIKOLA TOPIC
Topic is a 6-6 point with an 8-6 standing reach. He seems to display nice burst and fluidity. He’s also adept at attacking defenders and open space and should be a natural in pick-and-roll sets. He finished almost 70% around the rim, so he is a comfortable driver and scorer.
The biggest thing to note about Topic for now is his injury status. In January, he hurt is left knee which sidelined him for a few months. In April, he reinjured it, resulting in a partially torn ACL. He is not expected to play this season, which in essence “redshirts” him.
In fact, this is the only reason the Thunder were able to draft him. His injury hurt his draft stock.
Topic is a high-level passer, which combined with his at-times spotty shooting will draw Josh Giddey comparisons – unfairly so, in my opinion. In my opinion, he profiles as a better offensive prospect than Giddey.
In his jump shot, there seems to be some mechanical inconsistency, which I’m sure will be addressed as soon as he’s healthy enough. His free throw percentage, which is in the high-80s, is a hint that he has shooting touch. He will have to shoot the ball well to fit in on this team.
It’s an upside swing at 12, and Topic was expected to go high in the lottery before his knee. It remains to be seen how he will profile to fit in to the rotation.
DILLON JONES
At 26th, the Thunder decided to trade for Dillon Jones. Jones, 22, was a four-year player at Weber State. At 6-5, 235 lbs. and a 6-11 wingspan, he has an unusual body type that makes him somewhat positionless. Often listed as a forward, Jones played point and usually had the ball in his hands.
The plus-wingspan is a benefit, and his processing power is a huge reason for his effectiveness. He understands passing angles and is an adept skip passer – something this Thunder roster lacked. Jones also is skilled at passing out of the post.
Maybe more importantly to Thunder fans: he rebounded at a very high level: 9.2 per game.
It’s not all upside, though. I have some questions about him. Can he shoot consistently? He shot about 32% from three at Weber State. Can he defend at a high level? He didn’t block many shots for having a 6-11 wingspan.
And the big picture question: how will his game translate to the next lever? Can he impact the game off-ball? It will be an adjustment.
Jones was not on the radar in the first round for most, but there were some draft analysts who loved him as a sleeper. At 22, I would anticipate him to be ready to contribute, but it’s difficult to project with OKC’s current depth and anticipated moves via trades and free agency.
OFFICIAL Oklahoma City Thunder Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY, June 26, 2024 – The Oklahoma City Thunder selected guard Nikola Topić with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and acquired the draft rights to forward Dillon Jones (selected 26th overall) from the New York Knicks in exchange for five future second round draft picks, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.
Topić helped lead Crvena zvezda to the 2023-24 Adriatic League title after averaging 15.1 points on 50.5% shooting to go along with 5.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 28.4 minutes per game. At the conclusion of this past season, Topić was named the ABA League Top Prospect Award winner.
The Serbian native was named MVP of the 2023 FIBA U18 European Championships after leading Serbia to the gold medal. Topić scored 24 points in the championship game and averaged 15.3 points, 5.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds in tournament action.
Topić received 2022-23 All-EuroLeague Next Generation Tournament honors with Crvena zvezda’s U18 team. He tied a tournament record by scoring 49 points against Belgrade on April 1, 2023.
Jones averaged 20.8 points on 48.9% shooting, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.0 steals in 37.0 minutes per game during his senior season at Weber State. He finished fifth in school history in points, third in rebounds, second in assists and first in steals.
The Columbia, S.C. native led the Big Sky in scoring this past season and was named a finalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. During his sophomore and junior seasons, Jones ranked in the top 10 in the nation in rebounding.
