We all knew who was going in the top four of this draft class and none of those players were in any way going to be drafted by the Thunder. So for me on this draft night… the thing I was looking for most was if the Thunder were going to move up and take the very unique, versatile forward Yaxel Lendeborg from the national champion Michigan Wolverines.
Sam Presti came into draft night with his tanking bank bag of draft picks, the 12th and 17th picks in this draft, and some nice role players he could have dangled at the Golden State Warriors for the 11th pick.
But the Warriors held on to the No. 11 pick and took the 24 year-old Lendeborg who was the Big Ten Player of the Year and a key piece to the Wolverines success and why coach Dusty May is now the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
I know, I know…Presti doesn’t like drafting older players who graduate at this age, but in this case with the Thunder already in their championship window… an NBA ready made Axel Lendeborg would have made enormous basketball sense for the Thunder.
Maybe Sam Presti did dangle some assets the Warriors way and Steve Kerr and Company just said no. Maybe the Warriors see Yaxel Vendeborg as their next Draymond Green without all the histronics and emotional baggage.
MJ knows this though…Lendeborg would have fit multiple current needs of the Thunder as their Swiss army knife moving forward in the SGA era.
Yaxel could have filled JDub’s role if the hamstring is still a probelem. He could slide next to Isaiah Hartenstein and help put the clamps on Wemby so as Chet never has to get within ten feet of Wemby again. He could even give the Thunder that tough physical small forward look if the Thunder do indeed trade Lu Dort.
But instead of landing Yaxel, the Thunder drafted the very unathletic Aday Mara from the same Michigan team. I mean, damn…Presti already has one big white guy who won’t engage with Wemby. How does this pick address any of that need?
But maybe the Warriors just said no way to trading a mature, excellent overall player to Sam Presti. I hope we discover more about this later this week as I would hope the Thunder were dangling not only draft picks for the Warriors, but maybe a key role player or two like Isaiah Joe and Kenrich Williams to the offer.
Then of course…the Thunder used their No. 17 pick to take the Iowa white guard Bennett Stirtz. Nice player who helped take the Hawkeyes to the Elite 8, maybe in the end he turns out to be the best player Presti took in this draft. I do like what Stirtz offers offensively though.
I in no way am suggesting Yaxel makes the aged bodies of Steph and Jimmy Butler young and vibrant again…I’m just lamenting the Thunder could have moved even higher than the Warriors at No. 11 to snatch Yaxel.
That’s part of the beauty of the NBA draft though…these what if questions which down the road shape the teams we follow.
Aday Mora…oh, boy. Hope this isn’t another Sam Presti Poku pick….because the Thunder are going to need a tough-minded, smart, physical-mobile player to help defend Wemby down the road. The Thunder are on the championship window clock…now is not the time for a project.
I’m on to the Sooner celebration tonight in Norman, and then off to cover Team USA in the World Cup. That’s why I created this blog in the first place…to have the best beats in sports. Just covering the Thunder is too pedestrian for me. I need more.
Eternal love,
MJ