NBA Mock Draft: OKC Thunder Add Pair of College Big Men in First Round

As the team prepares to try and win its first NBA title, many fans likely aren't focused on the draft. The Thunder own two first round picks, though, and could add even more depth to a talented roster that won 68 games in the regular season.

Sam Presti and company could elect to package their selections together in a trade to move up the draft board or acquire future draft capital. If OKC does decide to keep the No. 15 and No. 24 overall picks, though, there should be a few intriguing options on the board.

In a recent projection from NBA Draft on SI, the publication paired two college big men with Oklahoma City, starting with Georgia freshman Asa Newell.

In his lone season with the Bulldogs, Newell averaged 15.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, a steal and a block per game while shooting 54.3% from the field and 29.2% from 3-point range.

At the combine, Newell measured at 6-foot-9 without shoes to go along with a 6-foot-11 and a quarter of an inch wingpsan. Coming out of high school, the Georgia standout was rated the No. 19 overall prospect and No. 4 power forward in the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

NBA Draft on SI ranked Newell as the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2025 draft class on the website's most recent big board.

At No. 24 overall, the publication slotted Stanford's Maxime Raynaud to Oklahoma City.

Raynaud averaged 20.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 blocks per game as a senior for the Cardinal, earning All-ACC honors.

At the combine, Raynaud measured at just over 7-feet tall with a wingspan just longer than 7-foot-1. The French center prospect also turned in a solid performance during his lone scrimmage in Chicago, tallying 20 points, nine rebounds and three assists while shooting 7-of-12 from the field and 2-of-5 from beyond the arc.

After his impressive outing, Jeff Borzello reported that Raynaud has elected not to participate in Thursday's scrimmages, usually indicating a player has done enough to significantly improve or solidify their draft position.

Adding two more big men would give the Thunder a robust rotation at the position and would allow Daigneault to utilize different players depending on the matchup. Additionally, if the Thunder's current centers, aside from Chet Holmgren, become too expense to keep on the roster, OKC could have a pair of young players waiting in the wings.