The NBA season is nearly complete, and many teams have turned their focus towards the upcoming NBA Draft.
While, at one point, it looked as though the Oklahoma City Thunder had a strong chance to land a top-10 selection in the upcoming draft, the 76ers recent losses could enact the pick protection that would keep the pick in Philadelphia's possession.
Still, OKC should land a pick inside the top 20 from a well-known trade with the Clippers and has the potential to find a solid contributor or a high-upside prospect.
In a recent mock draft from Draft Digest, writer Derek Parker slotted Israeli guard Ben Saraf to the Thunder with the No. 18 overall pick.
Listed at 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds, Saraf is averaging 12.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game while playing for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany's professional basketball league. Just 18-years-old, Saraf will turn 19 in April and has put up solid number for a player of his age.
Saraf began the season ranked higher in mock drafts, but has struggled as a shooter this season. Still, with good size and production at such a young age, it would not be surprising to see Sam Presti take an upside swing on Saraf.
In the second round, Parker paired Syracuse freshman Donnie Freeman with Oklahoma City.
Listed at 6-foot-9 and 205 pounds, Freeman was a 5-star prospect coming out of high school, rated the No. 15 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. Originally from the Bahamas, the Syracuse standout moved to Washington D.C. with his family at six-years-old, but still competes for his home country in international events.
In the summer of 2024, Freeman played for Team Bahamas alongside Buddy Hield, Eric Gordon, Deandre Ayton and fellow NBA Draft prospect VJ Edgecombe in the Olympic Games.
As a freshman, Freeman averaged 13.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 50.4% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. With good size and production, Freeman could develop into a solid NBA rotation player if he is able to become a better perimeter shooter.
Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.