Oklahoma City Thunder headline 2024 NBA Draft biggest 1st-round winners
06/27/2024 02:23 AM
The first round of the 2024 NBA Draft is now in the rearview mirror, and there was a healthy mix of exciting picks, head-scratching moves, and big surprises. While the second round has yet to begin, there’s plenty to analyze after an action-packed first round.
Who were Wednesday night’s biggest winners?
Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti continues to have the Midas touch. With the selection of Serbian international Nikola Topic at 12th overall, the veteran executive added a high-upside guard just days after dealing Josh Giddey for one of the NBA’s better perimeter defenders in Alex Caruso. Topic has more offensive potential than Giddey, as he displayed his passing and slashing skills over 18 games in the Serbian league before going down with a partially torn ACL last season. The 18-year-old averaged 15.9 points and 5.9 assists, and would have easily been a top-five pick were it not for the injury.
While Topic could miss the entire year, the Thunder have more than enough time to wait for him to heal. If the ABA League Top Prospect and All-ABA League Team honoree develops to his full potential, he could become an exciting backcourt partner to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for years to come.
Although the decision to trade five future second-rounders for Dillon Jones 26th overall was questionable, it won’t matter if and when Topic becomes a quality starter.
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