Most of the attention has been on the 12th pick and I feel like the same group of guys are getting brought up, but I think it's also worth discussing some mid second round guys.
We don't have a second rounder right now but they are easy to aquire and we have a huge stash of future seconds (6 including our own in 2029 alone). We've utilized the two-way a lot to add depth and even if the Thunder are still high on Keyontae and Flagler, there is still an open two-way because this will be Sarr's fourth season and you can only be a two-way for your first three IIRC.
There are a lot of interesting, but flawed guys in the mid second round but my favorite and most Thunder like player is Jonathan Mogbo. He's been pretty under the radar because he was a late bloomer and played 4 years in college with the first two being jucos. He started getting some buzz towards the end of the season and it sounds like he's been trending up after the combine.
Strengths
Size – He measured in at 6'6.25 with a 7'2" wingspan. He weighed 217 but he honestly looks bigger than that and has a strong build.
Ball handling/passing – it seems like a weird strength to list first for a big wing, but he's a great playmaker for his size. He averaged 3.6 assists with only 1.8 turnovers and he's great at finding cutters. And he's not just standing there with the ball waiting for something to happen, he's able to put the ball on the floor and make a play instead of just waiting for something to happen.
Rebounding – he's a great rebounder. He has a big frame and he's a pretty good athlete with quick feet. He averaged 10 rebounds a game with 3.3 being offensive boards.
Defense – good defender now and well rounded. Athletic enough to defend on the perimeter and big enough with a nice wingspan to block shots and provide help defense.
Offense (everything but shooting) – he can do a lot on offense. He can grab a defensive board and go in transition. He can playmake and pass. He's a great cutter and finds his angles. He's a lob threat and I can see him bring a great roll man. A lot of hustle with offensive boards and put backs…..but shooting is a big of a question.
Weaknesses
Shooting – he hasn't show that he has a jumpshot. He averaged 14ppg but a lot of his points came from post ups, lobs, layups, etc. The year before last he shot 43.2% from the line but he did improve to 69.2% last year. He shot two 3s over the last two seasons.
Competition – last season he played for University of San Francisco which is in the WCC, and the talent level there is lower than one of the power 5 conferences. So even though he had a good season, it was against worse competition.
Age – he is older but from his last few seasons, I don't think he's done developing. We would also be developing him for depth and not as a major piece, so I think age isn't a real concern.
I think a prospect like this would turn off some in the fan base because of the lack of shooting, but I think the role he'd play minimizes that. I think some see "big playmaker who can't shoot" and immediately think "we already have one of those" but Mogbo's fit in the offense would be different. In a lot of ways, you can still play "5 out" for sets if he can playmake above the break, set high screens, and make we'll timed cuts to the basket. If Giddey was an athletic lob threat, we'd be able to use him a lot of different ways.
by jm3546
