Most mock drafts have Oklahoma City going with Scottie Barnes at No. 6, but the Florida State forward is not the only option for the Thunder.
In USA TODAY’s post-lottery mock draft, Scott Gleeson had the Thunder selecting Baylor guard Davion Michell with their pick.
Mitchell would be a boon on both ends of the court for OKC, Gleeson wrote:
“The key catalyst of the national champion Baylor Bears squad, Mitchell (left) is a do-everything guard who can bolster any NBA team with his ballhawking defense. He’s also a capable passer who can stuff the stat sheet without needing to score. He can create and nail threes when he’s open or creates for himself.”
Mitchell, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound point guard, averaged 14 points and 5.5 assists while shooting 51.1% from the field and 44.7% from 3 as he helped lead Baylor to the national championship.
He would help take the ball out of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands, and the two of them are both positive defenders. It would be a nice backcourt.
However, Mitchell’s age doesn’t line up well with what the Thunder are looking for. He’ll be 23 years old by the time his rookie season starts — he’s only than two months younger than Gilgeous-Alexander.
Though many can and probably will argue that Mitchell’s current skill set is better than anyone else’s who will be available at the Thunder’s draft position, Oklahoma City will likely be looking for someone younger with a higher trajectory.
While it’s worth paying attention to Mitchell, his age and positional limitations (inability to play forward) likely limit the Thunder’s enthusiasm for the Baylor star, unless he shows up big in predraft workouts.
That’s especially the case because there are more guard options in the middle of the draft. USA TODAY has the Thunder selecting Jaden Springer, another point guard, at No. 16.
“Springer (12.5 ppg, 44% three-point shooting) has the ability to progress into a starting point guard, illustrated by his strong outside shooting at the NCAA level.”
At No. 18, Oklahoma City went guard once again with Illinois junior Ayo Dosunmu. Dosunmu was one of the best players in the NCAA last season, averaging more than 20 points, six rebounds and five assists per game while shooting above 50% from 2 and 39% from 3.
“The USA TODY Sports national college basketball player of the year 2021-22, Dosunmu was a triple-double machine who helped the Fighting Illini land a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He’s reminiscent of John Wall and Russell Westbrook with his do-everything ability.”
The Thunder aren’t going to pick a guard with all three selections in the first round. This would overload their backcourt, adding a trio of rookies to a group that includes Gilgeous-Alexander, Kemba Walker, Theo Maledon and Ty Jerome.
Springer is probably the most likely candidate of the three, given his age. Dounmu is a player the Thunder would like, but he was a junior last season.
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