With a double-positive record and players up for every award under the sun, the Oklahoma City Thunder are having their best season in years.
Visions of postseason wins currently dance in Thunder fan’s heads, but the looming cache of future draft picks is likely what has opposing NBA General Managers buzzing.
While many think OKC is saving up for a penultimate superstar trade, General Manager Sam Presti has thus far been fine to sit back and spend them, adding players like Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins and more in the last few seasons.
While the 2024 NBA Draft has gained a bit of an odd reputation without premier, 1A talent near the top, there’s still going to be plenty of players drafted later who fill much-needed roles in the big leagues.
One of those is Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, who’s taken the college basketball world by storm with his white-hot offensive onslaught.
Averaging 20.1 points per game on 48% shooting overall, Knecht is, most simply, one of college basketball’s best scorers. He’s cashing in on 40% of his 5.5 3-point attempts per game, is a mid-range savant and has little issue finishing around the rim.
Three-level scoring? Check, check and check.
His usage is high, but his decision-making seems good enough to reign that within the confines of a team, a big point for Oklahoma City’s philosophy. Defensively there are concerns with the overall mobility, but nothing that couldn’t be covered by the Thunder’s already-potent defense.
Oklahoma City is no stranger to high-octane offense and 3-pointers, boasting the third-best offensive rating in the league through 57 games and hitting on a league-best 39.8% of outside shots.
Knecht, at 6-foot-6 with an unreported but likely plus-wingspan, provides real size as an essential two guard. The Thunder’s system hinges on position-less basketball, which the Tennessee product fits snugly in the middle of as a wing.
OKC’s current "two" guards — a mixture of starter Lu Dort, essential sixth man Isaiah Joe and rookie phenom Cason Wallace — all stand at 6-foot-3.
Knecht's ability to create a jumbo lineup next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and more is certainly tantalizing. The organization has prided itself on forcing other teams to play small in recent years, but potentially rolling out a potent scoring lineup of 6-foot-6 and up might not be a bad back-pocket option.
Knecht’s draft range is anywhere from the late lottery to the early twenties, putting him potentially right in Oklahoma City’s crosshairs.
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