As the calendar flips to June, the 2024 NBA draft is less than a month away. The Oklahoma City Thunder will enter it with the No. 12 selection via the Houston Rockets.
The lottery pick is OKC’s sole selection this year — a far cry from the previous years when it had multiplayer classes. Despite this, Thunder general manager Sam Presti admitted he was a fan of this year’s class, which is viewed as one of the weaker classes in recent history.
In ESPN’s latest 2024 NBA mock draft, experts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo had the Thunder selecting Providence guard Devin Carter with the No. 12 spot.
“Carter has earned himself looks in the top 10 from teams, including San Antonio and Memphis, who value his reliability, toughness and all-around readiness to step in and contribute immediately. He brings quite a bit to the table defensively, has made strides as a shooter and plays with a nonstop motor, making him a particularly appealing choice for teams angling to compete sooner rather than later.
The Thunder have quite a bit of depth in the backcourt already, with two excellent defensive guards in Lu Dort and Cason Wallace, but could opt to stack the deck further at this spot and let Carter challenge for minutes right away. “
The 22-year-old spent three college seasons split between South Carolina and Providence. He averaged 19.7 points on 47.3% shooting, 8.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists last season. He shot 37.7% from 3 on 6.8 attempts.
Despite being just 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Carter could address the Thunder’s rebounding woes. He’s also a high-volume outside shooter, which OKC needs on its roster. The fit makes sense as a role player for the Thunder.
