Everyone expected a quiet night from the Oklahoma City Thunder considering their lack of first round picks, and that is exactly what happened.
The Thunder held the 53rd and 57th overall picks in this years draft. Without a top pick, many fans had hoped for a trade that would provide a higher selection. However, Sam Presti decided to make the most of the situation at hand.
The Thunder organization didn’t hesitate to draft a pair of guys that could make a big impact on this organization down the road. There isn’t as much talent that far into the draft, but that doesn’t mean there’s absolutely nothing. Many high profile guys have come out of late second round picks.
The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Devon Hall with the 53rd pick in the draft. Hall is a 22 year old shooting guard out of Virginia. He is an excellent passer and grew into a decent shooter during his four years in Virginia. He averaged 11.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists during his senior year. His performance during the season was enough to earn him All-ACC Second Team honors.
OKC then selected the 21 year old small forward Kevin Hervey with the 57th overall pick. Hervey played college ball at UT-Arlington for four years. His excellent shooting and length are likely what landed him in Oklahoma City. He averaged 20.5 points, and 8.5 rebounds as a senior which earned him All-Sunbelt First Team honors.
It’s never a guarantee that draft picks are going to pan out, no matter how high in the draft they may be. It becomes even more difficult to find a guy when you have later picks like the Thunder. However, that doesn’t mean the organization can’t get anything from these guys. It’s important to remember that some guys take awhile to develope.
It’ll be interesting to follow both of these rookies during summer league. Oklahoma City will be playing summer league basketball in Las Vegas. Who knows, maybe one of these guys will have a breakout summer and give a huge contribution to the team this year. That being said, if I was a betting man, I would say these guys will probably spend their time in Oklahoma City in the D-League play for the Blue.
Article written by Craig Hofeld. Follow @TheThunderGuys on Twitter and Instagram.