As is every draft night, Presti's haul left some enamored but many confused on what direction OKC is heading towards. And as always, I think there's a sneaky method to his madness; here's what Sam Presti is achieving with his 4 latest 2022 NBA draft picks.
Chet Holmgren takes a photo after being drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images)
It's become Oklahoma City tradition at this point. People, OKC fans and amateur draft experts alike, come into draft night thinking they have at least an idea of what the Thunder are going for. It started off that way with Chet Holmgren, as that was OKC's long projected target at 2. Fast forward half an hour, and OKC's on the board again at 12 with AJ Griffin and Jalen Duren both available. It seems like a no-brainer between the two, yet, the pick gets called in as Adam Silver seemingly comes out of nowhere and calls Jalen Williams' name. Actually, rewind to the preceding pick, and you'll hear the oh-so iconic Knicks fans booing Ousmane Dieng at 11... except OKC just traded for the pick a couple of minutes prior.
And just like that, coming into the draft with the presumed needs of filling out their frontcourt, the Thunder leave with Chet Holmgren (who serves that), Ousmane Dieng, Jalen Williams, and Jaylin Williams to pair alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Tre Mann, Lu Dort, and Aleksej Pokusevski. Seems crazy, adding more intriguing ballhandlers and creation to a group already full of that. But to me, Presti's gameplan is as clear as ever, especially as he alluded to a new continuity in his post-draft presser.
The Obvious Pick
I'll keep this Chet Holmgren segment short; you've probably heard what I'm about to say a million times so feel free to go ahead and skip this part. For those who haven't, here's the quick pitch.
A team that lacked rim protection and floor spacing, Chet adds both at a very high level immediately next to SGA and Giddey — while fitting their mold of 2-way versatility in players who can all handle the ball, grab and go, pass, and have unique traits in their own ways that'll add to what OKC is building. Paraphrasing Chet's very own words, he's someone who can space the floor horizontally and vertically for Shai and Giddey, shift the defense and find them for easy and open looks in halfcourt and transition settings, while also having their backs on defense as he highlighted his ability to protect the rim. Arguably the best player in the draft, the Thunder aded both BPA (best player available) and fit with Holmgren at 2.
The First (Jalen) Williams
Now, let's start with OKC's first (Jalen) Williams of the night, Jalen Williams. Jalen was a pre-draft riser who saw his stock skyrocket over the past month or so. Notably, he recorded the best wingspan-to-height differential at the draft combine, with his 7'2 wingspan being a ridiculous 8-1/2 inches taller than his 6'4-1/2 height (without shoes).
Jalen's standout skillset is his high floor as a pick-and-roll operator, where his midrange pullup (38.4% on midrange jumpers) and passing ability (87th percentile as a PnR passer) shine tremendously. He rarely got thrown off Santa Clara, consistently operating at his own pace while being aware of the defenders surrounding him as well as any open passing angles. While I wouldn't say his passing defies coverages, his ability to make passes beyond hitting the basic roller or cutter as a PnR ballhandler is valuable.
Though his athleticism and first step are subpar, Jalen is one of the craftier ballhandlers in the class and is able to create good enough separation not to be too reliant on pure shotmaking — like a Blake Wesley — and makes him one of the safer self-creators in the class. However, I do question his ceiling as one with the lack of projected rim pressure, since the athleticism makes it easier to cut off his driving lanes nor is he the most effective self-created finisher either. But playing next to Shai, Giddey, and Mann, this shouldn't be much of an issue since he isn't going to be asked of primary creation duties.
That brings me to his base fit with Oklahoma City, which I think is far overblown. Too many times have I seen people talk about OKC's now "overabundance" of ballhandlers, which I just don't find to be true enough on a deeper scale to invalidate their draft, but something I'll go in-depth on later.
Williams' ability without the ball in his hands was also one of the best in CBB this past season, and a huge reason why he'll be able to fit alongside the Thunder's bevy of guards/wings on day one. He's arguably the 3rd best off-ball shooter in the class behind Jabari Smith and AJ Griffin; his Synergy splits don't even seem real at first glance:
Poss | Points | PPP | FG% | Percentile | |
Spot Ups (Overall) | 72 | 93 | 1.29 | 51.6% | 97th% |
Spot Ups (C&S) | 41 | 56 | 1.37 | 46.3% | 92nd% |
C&S (Overall) | 64 | 90 | 1.41 | 48.4% | 97th% |
Driving Closeouts (To Rim) | 15 | 24 | 1.60 | 90.0% | 99th% |
Cuts | 35 | 50 | 1.43 | 75% | 87th% |
And, as you can see, he's also capable of attacking closeouts when necessary while also being a timely cutter who can finish plays at a high rate. His passing is also useful/scalable as a connector, which is a key skill to have next to a SGA-Giddey backcourt. Here's one that caught my eye:
But he doesn't have to have to be delegated to just spot up offense in Oklahoma City; there are other ways to get Jalen on-ball touches within the flow of their offense. Mainly through 21/Chicago actions that were utilized on volume at Santa Clara, where variations of coming off screens, pindowns, and DHOs were used to then either flow Jalen into a ballscreen or allow him to get straight downhill and create offense from there. While he's not super efficient as a slasher (40% on 15 isolation drives to the rim), he has a good runner (50% on 50 attempts) and is a proficient playmaker as a driver (90th percentile as an isolation passer). He can also just simply shoot it once he gets the ball off those actions, as I talked about.
So, using him as a dual-shooter/creator coming off screens and dribble handoffs in SGA/Giddey minutes is a smart way of getting him on-ball opportunities, without disrupting an already shaky heliocentric backcourt there. Here's some tape of him flowing into PnRs/drives, or just launching it, as described (passing in the last minute and half):
Here's some of that impressive cutting ability. His manipulation using change of speed and direction on some of these are really high level; reminded me a bit of Jordan Poole. Flashed good awareness of filling gaps and finding open space despite being used mostly on-ball at Santa Clara:
And the skill that has a soft spot within me, attacking closeouts. A - thunderous - slam in the first clip, if you will (I apologize):
Presti highlighted that prospects' ability to play with and without the ball was a huge talking point for OKC, and that's no different with Jalen Wiliams. He has the craft and creativity that's desired in a modern day scorer, while having elite skillset of an elite off-ball guard as someone who can spot up, come off screens, attack closeouts, and make connective passes. That's exactly the kind of ancillary scoring, advantage-maintaining/converting guard you want in Shai-Giddey minutes, and the creator you want when when they're on the bench.
The Second (Jaylin) Williams
Presti snagged both the Williamses on draft night, he's got too many picks on his hands man someone's gotta do something. Jokes aside, I probably like Jaylin's fit the 2nd most in OKC behind only Chet.
Though somewhat undersized for a big, Jaylin Williams is one of the strongest, most athletic, and most unique bigs in the class. At 6'10-240 lbs, Jaylin is a versatile PnR screener with his ability to roll, slip, and pop after setting sturdy screens with his strong core. While he ranked only in the 25th percentile in pick and pop situations, he's flashed shooting potential and was in the 81st percentile as a roller and 85th percentile when slipping screens, according to Synergy.
He's also one of the best passing bigs in the class, likely the 2nd best behind Chet — once again — and arguably even the best flat out. The value he brings as a short roller with his combination of scoring and passing ability as a roll man is extremely valuable next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished 2nd in double teams per game last season, and Josh Giddey, one of the league's best pick-and-roll operators. His ability to hit cutters and play within handoff/off screen actions at the top of the key will also be useful with guys like Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, Tre Mann, Aaron Wiggins, and others on the roster.
Jaylin has a solid knack for cutting/roaming into open space as well, as he ranked in the 79th percentile on cuts with 1.35 PPP on 68 possessions.
He's also a very good defender, and the perfect big to pair with Chet on that end early on. Chet is well known for his elite rim protection, however, is often exacerbated (made to seem worse) because of a lack of muscle. On the contary — though he may provide some form of rim protection with his outstanding ability to take charges — Jaylin isn't a great vertical shot blocker, but is one of the better post defenders in this class with his sturdy body. He held college basketball's premiere post scorer, Drew Timme, to just 1/5 FG and 2 TOVs when matched up as his primary defender in the post (although Timme drew 2 fouls), according to Synergy. He excels in drop coverage too, the main reason he ranked in the 78th percentile as the primary PnR Roll Man's defender, allowing just 0.61 PPP on 41 total scoring/turnover possessions.
With Chet's vertical abilities and Jaylin's down-to-the-ground, able to bang down low playstyles on defense, along with supreme defensive versatility from both when defending in space, only the Jabari-Tari pairing in Houston challenges a Chet-Jaylin defensive duo as the best in the league among rookies. The combination of paint protection and positional defense in Oklahoma City's young, lengthy, and versatile bigs with Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Darius Bazley is built for the modern NBA.
The Frenchman
And last but not least, Ousmane. Uzi? Oussy?
Whatever you prefer to call him, Ousmane Dieng was one of the more intriguing young prospects leading upto the 2022 NBA draft. 6'10 with a 205 lbs frame, Ousmane possesses a rare combination of size, fluidity, and touch for a 19 year old. Entering the early part of the draft cycle as a potential top 5 pick, Dieng's stock slid intensely throughout his first couple months in the NBL with major struggles.
However, he ended up turning his season around the latter part of the year, and showed off enough for multiple teams in the lottery to be interested.
He had a knack for creating out of the pick-and-roll as a ballhandler, showing off great vision and creativity for someone of his size. He created offense for his team at a 1.28 PPP rate in 32 possessions out of PnR passes according to Synergy, which ranked 3rd in the NBL (min. 15 poss).
He showed off a lot of tantalizing isolation scoring flashes in the NBL as well. His touch and fluidity have always been present — he was a guard turned wing/forward in his late high school career because of a growth spurt — so his movement is very natural. However, the efficiency he scored the ball at in isolation during the 2nd half of his season in Australia is remarkable.
The film itself anything groundbreaking. He wasn't crazy breaking down defenses, creating separation/advantages, and capitalizing type plays. It was mostly just the combination of size, touch, and fluidity on display during a hot streak of shotmaking. However, that shotmaking upside at his size along with his passing is still very tantalizing. He isn't going to be your primary, or maybe even secondary source of offense, but complementary creation on the wing in tandem with defense (which I'll get to in a bit) is very valuable in the modern NBA.
Even then, Dieng doesn't have to be a creator for Oklahoma City, and that's what makes me like this fit for him so much. Next to creators like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey and scorers like Tre Mann, Dieng can be used as a 6'10 jumbo-connector at the forward position. Shooting, attacking closeouts, roaming/cutting, and passing are the 4 main parts I like to categorize under connectors. I've already talked his impressive passing ability, and although he may not be a very active cutter, I believe he can be an excellent shooter and second-side creator.
Shooting the ball, Ousmane has a very clean jumper with great shot mechanics and a smooth release point. He showed great touch on floaters (42.4% FG) and pull-up jumpers (33.3% 3PT) to go with that, which already gives him a good baseline as a shooter. Along with that, he'll also be working with Chip Engelland: AKA 'The Shot Doctor'. Chip is the NBA's premiere shooting coach and has had a rich history working with players' jumpshots with the San Antonio Spurs since 2005. He recently joined the Oklahoma City Thunder's coaching staff as an assistant coach this past offseason and will be a great tool for players on the roster with developing jumpers such as Ousmane Dieng, Josh Giddey, Darius Bazley, and Aleksej Pokusevski.
As his shooting ability grows at the next level — I believe he can reach around 38-40% from 3 one day — Dieng will start to draw harder closeouts. Drawing closeouts not only better spaces the floor for the Thunder, but also opens up opportunities to attack off the catch. This is another area I think Dieng will be able to thrive in as a connective piece.
While he wasn't a great driver and self-created finisher at the rim in the NBL, he was solid playing off created advantages. Here are his stats driving closeouts out of spot-up situations (via Synergy):
Poss | Points | PPP | FG% | |
Driving Closeouts (Pullup Jumper) | 7 | 3 | 0.43 | 14.3% |
Driving Closeouts (Floater) | 4 | 7 | 1.75 | 100.0% |
Driving Closeouts (To Rim) | 13 | 16 | 1.23 | 72.7% |
Hard Driving Closeouts (Floater/Rim) | 17 | 23 | 1.35 | 78.6% |
That beautiful floater touch, solid ancillary finishing, and passing ability makes me confident he'll be able to add value as a second-side creator, and someone who can attack off the catch. And along with the shooting potential, the pathway to Ousmane Dieng as a jumbo-sized connector who can play off of created advantages is clear as day. Even if the OTD shotmaking never comes to fruition, that's a highly valued archetype in today's NBA.
On the defensive end, Dieng is just as, if not more, impressive. The fluidity and movement skills he possesses as a 6'10 forward with a 7'0 wingspan allow him to comfortably switch 2-4 and even guard some 1s. That modern day versatility is exactly why his stock grew during the predraft process, although he's not the best screen navigator.
His tools also allows him to be a defensive playmaker in passing lanes, and he has great moments and instincts as a weakside helper when covering rotations, tagging the roller, and blocking shots.
Ousmane's intriguing 2-way ability is what made me like him so much as a prospect coming into draft night, and when Oklahoma City traded for his pick, I was even more delighted. He was fantastic in preseason action, and we have but a few days to see how he translates to the NBA as one of the youngest rookies.
How They Fit Together
And now, the question that was on everyone's mind after the draft: How do all these pieces fit together? What's their endgame? The consensus on Chet's fit in Oklahoma City was a positive, but not so much Jalen Williams and Ousmane Dieng. But if there's one thing we should know about Presti, it's that he always has an endgame plan.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Aleksej Pokusevski, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Chet Holmgren. These guys that OKC is clearly prioritizing for the future all seem like very different players with varying playstyles and positions, and they very well might be. But there is an underlying commonality among them. They're all players with positional size, ball skills, passing abilities, and defensive versatility. OKC is team-building exactly for the modern day by targeting a plethora of + sized ballhandlers who provide 2-way versatility.
Of course, there are exceptions. Lu Dort isn't the tallest wing (although he is very strong), and Tre Mann doesn't really possess size or defense. But they both have outlier skills for their ages — Dort's 1-on-1 defense and Tre's space creation/off-ball scoring. Even Shai, widely considered a negative defender, was a fantastic helper and positional shot blocker last season, and posseses the tools to guard 1-3 in the NBA.
By building around length, ball skills/passing, and defense at every position, OKC is giving themselves flexibility and versatility while team building (not to mention the 100 other draft picks). Jalen and Ousmane fit into this idea seamlessly.
Jalen Williams, 6'5 with a 7'2 wingspan, is one of the most offensively versatile players we've seen in a while among guards. He's comfortable running PnR, can flow into DHOs, isolate, come off screens, cut, and attack closeouts as a 6'6 dribble/pass/shoot PG. He can play off of creators as a fabulous cutter and second-side creator, while also being able to run 2nd units with his sneakily good live dribble passing. The ability to mold to either a connector and creator role depending on lineup situations is one that provides so much flexibility for any coach or team, especially one with as many talented ballhandlers as the Thunder.
As for Ousmane, I already talked about his pathways to success on the offensive end. He projects to be another excellent connective wing for OKC, and that too at 6'10 without shoes! Combined with the untapped creation upside, it's easy to see why Presti was ready to give up multiple picks for such a talent.
The Thunder already have a very good foundation as a young core, and aren't even done building. Going into year 3 of a rebuild, they already have both offensive and defensive anchors under the age of 25 on their roster. Projecting to have size, ballhandling, passing, and defensive versatility at every position, the Oklahoma City Thunder are building for the modern era without as much "overlapping skillsets" as many thought on draft night. With that level of flexibility, both in a schematic and team building sense, it would be unwise to question if Presti is truly building something special down in Oklahoma. Because he is.
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