The Oklahoma City Thunder have the greatest team in the Western Conference right now, and that’s not even the best part; they are almost all under 30 years old. It looks like they are setting up to be a dynasty, and they might even get another young star to add to it.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, the Thunder are predicted to draft Khaman Maluach from Duke University with the seventh pick in the NBA Draft. This would help with the Thunder’s depth problem in the frontcourt, since the only seven footers they have are Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Holmgren and Hartenstein are also injury prone, so having another young center could ease the burden on all three of them. This allows them all to play more games, and avoid serious injuries.
At Duke, Maluach is averaging eight points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 0.5 assists per game. So while he isn’t an offensive center, he could definitely anchor the defense. And with scorers like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams on the floor, he really doesn’t need to.
This pick is also contingent on the Philadelphia 76ers being bad, but not that bad. The Thunder received this pick in a trade, so if the Sixers land in any of the top six spots of the lottery, they keep their pick. That’s why this pick only works at seventh or below.
If the Thunder can land Maluach, that would be huge. It would give them a third seven footer, and they could stretch the floor even more than before. With new lineups, they could have Holmgren at the four, and Hartenstein starting at the five with Maluach as his backup.
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