Oklahoma City used two second-round picks to move from No. 17 to No. 16 and select Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz, pairing one of the draft’s most polished guards with 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, after taking Aday Mara at No. 12 overall, still had the No. 17 pick to round out the first round. But the Thunder opted to trade two second-round picks to move up one spot with the Memphis Grizzlies to No. 16 overall, landing Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz.
And while he’s a smaller player, standing at 6-foot-2, his ability to process the game, handle the ball and play both on and off the ball at either guard spot is super intriguing for a team like the Thunder.
He’s a win-now player. He’ll be 23 years old at the start of the season, and overall, it’s just a really solid selection for Oklahoma City.
It’s yet to be seen whether he has the upside to become a starter at the next level or if he’ll spend most of his career as a reserve. But for all intents and purposes, Sam Presti clearly wanted Stirtz, trading up to get him and jumping one spot to make sure he landed in Oklahoma City.
He’ll join Aday Mara in the Thunder’s rookie class and potentially a third rookie, with Oklahoma City still owning the No. 37 overall pick in the second round on Wednesday night.
Overall, it’s been a successful draft for the Thunder. They landed two really intriguing players who both have a chance to contribute in year one, and that’s going to be important moving forward. The financial bill for this team is only going to continue to rise, and Oklahoma City is going to need young players on rookie-scale contracts to step up and provide meaningful minutes.
Through one night of the draft, the Thunder accomplished exactly that.
