Bold predictions for the 2022 Thunder rookie class
The only additions the Oklahoma City Thunder made to their roster were through the 2022 NBA draft.
The Thunder ended up selecting four rookies in Chet Holmgren, Ousmane Dieng, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams.
Outside of those four, the Thunder had a relatively quiet summer where their headliners included handing out extensions to Lu Dort and Kenrich Williams while brining back Mike Muscala.
The summer the Thunder had makes sense as the team is currently undergoing a rebuild. The only players the team should add should come from the draft because of this.
Let’s take a look at four bold predictions for the newcomers and their rookie seasons.
Chet Holmgren leads the team in blocks
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OK this one might not be that bold but still. A large reason why Holmgren went No. 2 in the draft was because of his elite rim protection skills that sees him take advantage of his lengthy frame.
At Gonzaga, Holmgren averaged an eye-popping 3.7 blocks in just 27 minutes of action. While he probably won’t average anything close to that number his rookie season, he should collect enough blocks to be the team leader on the Thunder — whose block leader from last season averaged just one per game in Darius Bazley.
Ousmane Dieng records multiple 20-point performances
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Drafting Dieng came with the caveat that he will be a long-term project for the Thunder. This was seen last year at his lone season in the NBL, where a terrible first half of his season labeled him undraftable before a strong finish boosted him into the lottery.
Dieng’s rookie season will likely not be very impactful and odds are, he will spend significant time in the G League. With that said, I can definitely see Dieng have a few scoring outburst games — especially in March/April, where teams are resting players.
If Dieng does, then that should be plenty of evidence to excite the fanbase on the 19-year-old’s potential as he develops and improves.
Jalen Williams becomes a starter
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While this isn’t a long shot, it’s still a bit of a reach. Jalen Williams is seen as a more ready-now player and can make an immediate impact on the Thunder.
Williams definitely has both the on-ball and off-ball skills to seamlessly fit into the starting lineup. While he will likely start the season off the bench, there is a spot in the starting five that will continuously be up for grabs all season long.
Jaylin Williams avoids the G League
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Honestly, this might be the boldest prediction of the bunch. Williams was drafted in the second round and is a work on offense, but has certain skills that can be easily translatable in the NBA very quickly.
Williams will likely spend the most time out of the four rookies with the Oklahoma City Blue, but if he can immediately contribute as a solid defensive frontcourt player off the bench, maybe there’s a chance the team deems him too valuable to hand him G League assignments.
