The Oklahoma City Thunder are hoping to turn things around after falling to the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Many didn't give the Pacers a chance going into the series, and there's been plenty of media calling the Pacers possibly the worst team ever to make the NBA Finals.
While the Thunder have displayed dominance at times, Wednesday night wasn't one of those. The Thunder were one of the better road teams in the NBA during the regular season, but their first road game in the finals didn't go as hoped.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Thunder predicted to select intriguing international prospect
The NBA Finals is the pinnacle of the basketball season, so one might not realize that the 2025 NBA Draft is less than two weeks away. The Thunder have a pair of first-round picks, the No. 15 pick and the No. 24 pick.
With the latter of the two, CBS Sports' Gary Parrish predicts that the Thunder will draft Ben Saraf, a 6-foot-5 point guard prospect from Israel.
"Saraf is another international prospect with nice positional size. Concerns about his shooting and athleticism should keep him out of the lottery — but there's enough pick-and-roll playmaking ability already in place to ensure his name is called in this range -- whether it's to Oklahoma City at No. 24 or another franchise in this neighborhood of the draft," wrote Parrish.
Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) battle.
Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) battle.
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
The Thunder's primary goal at the moment is obviously to win the championship and hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Still, you can be sure that the Thunder has a team evaluating every scenario that could unfold on draft night.
Oklahoma City will attempt to tie the series when it meets the Pacers for Game 4 on Friday night. If they fall behind 3-1, it would likely be time to hit the panic button on the series.