OKC Thunder 2026 NBA Draft Strategy Could Be ALTERED in Next Month

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On today's Lockdown Thunder podcast, are we about to watch an NBA finals preview on Thursday

plus how this next month can alter the thunder's NBA draft strategy.

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At the little thunder pot on today's show, we're joined by Derek Parker, also of the

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and you can also find him a draft on SI over there covering the NBA draft.

And we're diving into the NBA draft.

How the next month, both in the NBA and in March madness can alter how O.K.C. views

the draft.

But we're also going to dive into this fun game against Boston tonight Derek.

How you doing today?

Doing good.

Man, we are just in the absolute thick of basketball right now.

We got conference tournaments in college.

We got the home stretch of the NBA season.

What a fun time.

March is the best.

Nothing beats March.

This is March.

I mean, you've got the 20 minutes on all day.

I've been watching them.

I can't get enough of it.

B.Y.

You want to tell you right now?

It's great.

It's great to have basketball on all day.

Bam on a bio is still scoring buckets on the Washington Wizards.

We're about to watch a potential NBA finals preview.

Let's dive into that Boston game.

The injury reports came out this evening for the Thunder versus Celtics game.

Alex Crusoe and Chet Holmgren are back.

Jaydub is still out.

I heart is still out for the Celtics.

They list Tatum and White as questionable.

Vouch is out, which is disappointing because I really wanted to see Vouch and how he can

change up that Celtics front court against this Thunder to match up in particular, but they

still have the course quite a few weapons that they're supposed to Boston does, especially

if Tatum and White get elevated.

First things first, Derek.

Jaydub.

Still out.

Where do you fall on the spectrum of rest versus rest of the cotton?

What is your viewpoint of Jaydub who now only has a month left of the regular season?

I think it's certainly important to kind of have this runway to get back going.

I think we saw that with his play earlier in the season.

You know, he certainly wasn't up to speed.

I think the risk at least is as he said, it's a pain management thing.

I don't think that's the biggest deal.

I think you kind of needed more than this runway anyway to really get that perfect.

I don't know that it's necessarily going to happen with the a lot of time.

I don't know that it was going to happen anyway.

So the risk is pain management.

I don't know that we're going to see like a high volume three point shooter or, you know, a crisp,

crisp handler.

I don't think that's the biggest end of the world thing.

I think he can make an impact regardless.

More so, obviously, it's the hamstring at this point.

He just needs kind of the general sturdiness under him.

He needs to get his legs back under him.

He needs to be able to trust that he can use the hamstring to do all these different things.

Obviously, we saw in the one game.

He was fully trusting, maybe a little too trusting.

So, yeah, I think he certainly needs just a little bit of time here.

And the clock's ticking, but it should be soon.

Yeah, the clock is ticking, obviously, from the standpoint of the regular season.

I've been of the mindset and look, you know, we might look back on this and consider me wrong.

But I really think that this team has such great chemistry on the court and off the court,

but on the court is what we're talking about here where.

As long as he's healthy and playing game one round one, it's going to be fine.

It's all going to work out for 4.

Okay, see, and if he can stay healthy for the post season, it's also going to be fine.

Now, you know, you can, it's fair to be concerned of like, listen, do you really think that this is,

this team is going to get healthy and stay healthy for three whole months when they haven't done that at all.

Do I have any stretch of the regular season?

That's a different conversation to me.

I will point to last year where they had unbelievable success, keeping guys healthy in the post season after a,

a system and literally injury riddled season.

But I mean, last year, Derek, they fundamentally changed who they were on February 7th,

whenever I heart and yet we're finally both healthy.

This year, they're not changing anything about their identity, about their roles, about the core,

about anything like that.

They're just simply adding an all NBA player who last time saw him play, he looked really good.

You mentioned the rest thing being the biggest hurdle.

If he can get past this hamstring, which we know are tricky, if he can get past his hamstring,

which the indications seem to be so.

I mean, we've seen him out there pregame, endalists on this last road trip in OKC.

You've seen him pregame getting some work in.

I think that it's going to be all right.

I don't really have any concerns of like, well, what if the team's on the same page?

I think they're going to be on the same page, especially with that play intern at practice week.

I think they're going to be on the same page.

I have no questions about like the continuity or chemistry there.

I get the questions are about, of course, the medicals.

Totally agree.

And I think that speaks a lot to Mark Dagnall and the staff system and that they're just so versatile.

Again, they're such a unit off the court on the court, like they can do so many different things.

Not worried about the continuity, chemistry, much at all.

And especially that's made easier by the fact that Jay Dub can do so many different things.

Like if there are maybe some continuity kinks in terms of him coming back as like a handler.

Then it's not going to be a big deal for him to just go out there and be an all defense type player that can connect the offense that can play finish that can spot up shoot.

Or vice versa.

Like if they really need him to be a handler.

It's not going to be that big a deal for other people to step up in his defensive absence and have case and wall is take on even bigger matchups and out screw so guard up and size up.

So yeah, not too worried about the system.

I think the system is pretty flawless to be honest.

And I'm just not worried much about the way this Thunder team operates as far as on the court.

It like you said is mostly just about the medicals and him really getting his feet under him in the next month or so.

Yeah, and the practice during the NBA play in tournament will be big a whole week.

They've handled that before to kind of get him back into rhythm.

I think that he'll be back much before that I'm just saying that's another that's another tool in the toolbox is trying to get guys up to speed and ready to go.

We also have seen he's a Mitchell who didn't play from January 21st until Monday.

He looked awesome right away.

And I think that is a Mitchell is going to be a guy who can help him.

You mentioned how versatile that Jada is.

I think that this team can embrace him in any capacity that he needs them to where if it if it is a situation where he comes back.

And he looks more like his first time returning where the handle wasn't sharp.

The creation wasn't sharp.

Like you can take that that crash off of him to bear.

You can allow him to be an off ball player by having him next to Shay next to AJ for all of his minutes.

If he comes back and he it's like riding a bike.

He picks it right back up when he wasn't Phoenix, which was the best version of him we've seen all year, which is the version of himself that made him an all NBA player.

Well then, hey, you know what?

It's still going to be great to have Jada there and having AJ off of them as an off ball player.

But Jada can still resume those responsibilities.

And when I'm likelihood, Derek, we know that's the truth is somewhere in the middle.

I think that his role will be somewhere in the middle of those two things.

You want to exclusively be off ball?

I don't think he'll be exclusively on the ball either.

Even in the non Shay lineup.

So I think that with Jada, I think it's going to be fine for this under team.

As long as you see number eight suit enough in April in the post season.

It's going to be fine.

Now you can be concerned that that that'll happen for three months from April to June.

You can be concerned about that.

But I think that as long as you can get him back, it's going to work out for this team.

I think the way that this Thunder team has operated outside of these injuries too is has kind of quelled some fears at least.

I think to your point, should we expect the Thunder to be 100% totally healthy for the entirety of its post season run?

Probably not.

You know, I'm really a big believer in when teams show you who they are believe them.

And with some teams that applies to, you know, defensive intensity.

I think with this specific Thunder team, it might apply to the health this season.

Obviously, I think some of these things are very 2025, 2026 dependent.

I don't think this is like a long term thing.

But I don't know that we should expect this team to just completely flip a page.

The second the post season starts and be 100% healthy.

That could apply to some of the more tiki tack stuff.

But in terms of the bigger ones, absolutely not.

But the Thunder have also been really successful still throughout the entirety of the season.

And I know the playoffs, obviously, you're playing tougher opponents.

It's a different style.

It's more physical.

It's the series of it all where you're seeing the same team night in night out.

But we've still seen this Oklahoma City team sustain success at a high level, even without jade up, even without Hardenstein.

So I'm not saying that they could go and win the NBA finals without these guys.

But I do think there is the potential to kind of keep the boat afloat for a game.

Two games if things do pop up and happen.

So they they've been pretty steady this this whole season.

And I would expect that to continue speaking of moving forward.

Are we going to watch an NBA finals preview between Boston and Oklahoma City this evening?

And we're going to dive into the 2026 NBA draft a load of draft class with a loaded question of who's going to be the best fit for O.K.

You see hard to answer that until the next month plays out from the NCAA tournament to how the clubbers and the sixers, especially will end up finishing all coming up on today's show.

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Is Thursday night in the pay come center thunder Celtics is that an NBA finals preview here's how I want you to answer that question I know it's a loaded question.

But if you had to for the sake of entertainment purposes only if you had to pick one match up that you think is most likely to be the NBA finals match up what match up would be would it be this one would it be a different one.

I think it would be this one and I don't know that I would have said this months ago I probably wouldn't have said this I was probably saying thunder next I've been very consistent on the thunder side of this equation I will say I think they're the best in the deepest team in the league.

Now the Celtics are highly interesting this was a team we thought was a potential lottery team coming into the season Derek White had something to say about that Jalen Brown MVP candidate JB had something to say about that.

And this coaching staff and throughout had plenty to say about that because they have not only one of the best records in the eastern conference they have the second best net rating in basketball their superstar Jason Tatum is back they play a phenomenal brand of winning basketball as referenced by their championship a few seasons ago so.

And when I especially look at this eastern conference I don't know how many teams I trust outside of Boston to really get there like I spoke about the mix they've been up and down the pistons don't feel quite ready just yet kind of we're seeing that with their you know four game losing streak and these other teams I just don't know that I trust the calves and more so Boston scary they're really scary how do you feel Rylan yeah Boston is scary and I would trust is the right word to use look if I had to get it right.

Right and and try my best to get it right I'd give the heaviest amount of percentage points to okay see worse Boston now let me be clear that is not 100% guarantee is not 100% guarantee at all it is a situation where I can see the spurs coming out of the west I could even still call me crazy call me crazy I could even still see Denver coming out of the west and of course I can see Oklahoma City coming out of the west in the east though I I can poke more more holes in Detroit I can poke more holes.

I can poke more holes in Cleveland than I can in Boston so with Boston that they they're my east favorite right now for those reasons.

Yeah I think especially in terms of postseason success they defend we obviously having washed the thunder crews to the championship last year defense absolutely matters they've got big versatile defenders they can do a lot of different things one of the biggest things they take care of the ball very well which is one reason I think they might have a little bit of success against Oklahoma City.

Obviously a team that Mark Diagnol says all the time they don't look to turn people over but obviously the way they play defense naturally does turn people over and that leads to offense and that leads to winning basketball games so if the Celtics really continue to take care of the ball they're going to be a tough team to beat and especially the thing that's on their side is their three point shooting and I know that can be a little up and down but they play the math game in a big way and the thunder like to play the math game too but the Celtics nearly perfected it to the point a couple seasons ago if anybody remembers.

It was like this the Celtics are the team to beat like there's no way anyone's going to to throw them and now we're kind of looking at it's not the exact same team they've lost some pieces but it's a lot of the same team and it's the same team that plays the same brand and they're pretty good and they're in a rhythm and they're hot and they've got some win behind their back right now so yeah Celtics watch out.

Yeah it's Mizzoula ball and I think that Mizzoula ball can give the thunder fits tonight I mean the thunder naturally can see some some threes obviously as you've known from following this team throughout the marked in your mark dignals tenure here but the Celtics offense is predicated on finding open three so it's it's the opposite of something has to give something's already given it's going to be some threes out there for Boston and it'll come down a shot variance and I think that that's largely how a series could go between these two teams and I'm very excited to see my first installment let's stick out East Eric.

Let's talk about the NBA draft the 26 draft that you and I both love you covered over there at Derek Dash Parker on YouTube you covered on NBA draft on SI and of course we have our draft here on Patreon on the OEC Dream Team podcast but

Maxi my guy my sixers he's out couple weeks here and the sixers well let's just say your hornets are surging let's just say your hornets are only three and a half back of the Philadelphia 76ers and right now

and right now if the lottery were to happen two day the thunder would have picks 15 and 16 because they would not have a lottery pick at all but with the sixers five and five in the last 10 with this injury mounting on top of the imbeid spotiness on top of course the Paul George suspension for better or worse

do you buy stock in like the fact that Philadelphia not only will get passed up by your hornets but they could end up handing over the thunder a pretty juicy pick.

They certainly could we've talked about you talk all the podcasts we talk about like we have mentioned the fact that this Philadelphia pick is going to be in the range of just outside the lottery we usually start at 15 go to about 20 that feels like the safe range for Philadelphia all things considered now and I'm not just trying to pile on your sixers violin but this is a real thing in terms of I don't look great the vibes aren't great I'm not saying the Jared McCain trade was the catalyst here

but it certainly did not help Paul George not helping the vibes Tyres Maxi injury not helping the vibe so things aren't looking good I think as of today I would still pick them outside the lottery

but if a few things swing the opposite of their direction they could certainly you know end up as one of those final spots very easily.

And here's the bad thing for the thunder in the draft standpoint this is I think that the next month will really shape some of the thunderstorm strategies because at one point it looked like a guarantee that the clippers would be in the lottery they'll lose the play in at the minimum they'll give you the twelfth overall pick again at the minimum and away you go but with the clippers surging the way that they are right now having one to an arrow and they're shooting outside the lottery right this second and the plane is pending the results I don't trust Golden State to knock them out of the plan I don't trust

I don't trust any of these teams to knock them at the play in where you look at it I think I think of this plan tournament range whoever ends up getting seven is getting in I think it'll be the sons as much as I love JL green I'm a JL green pod I love the sons I'm a sun's guy I ultimately think that they'll still be seven I don't think that I don't think that Minnesota will plummet I don't think that Denver will plummet I don't think to the lakeers will plummet so so Phoenix is getting into me to the NBA playoffs and then it comes down to the clippers warriors and blazers

I don't trust the warriors or blazers to to knock out the clippers and if they don't and you don't get a lottery pick and then if we're saying that we think that the sixers will hang inside that East play in and what and we'll get into the dance

potentially going out without a lottery pick would be tough the question here is are you with me I'm like I'm more bullish on the sons and clippers than I am of the other two West play in teams or are you still are you still a warriors guy

I am far more bullish on the clippers than any of the other teams mentioned I think the sons are solid I agree that of the teams mentioned they'll probably get in

even still obviously the clippers aren't catching the sons at this point that's an insurmountable lead

clippers far and away the best of this for team group like it's not even close since the turn of the new year they have been genuinely improved and that's a credit to them because

they got clowned on for all the over going to go whatever and whatever and we're going to get back to 500 and we're going to be a playoff team

they're like making it happen in real time while having a less talented roster which is really impressive so yeah I'm not inspired by the warriors

I'm not inspired by the trailblazers right now so I absolutely agree with you.

And so that's that's up R&B draft preview where what to the Thunder do do they trade this pick is they're still going to be value on the board when they finally get their first pick how do they navigate this 2026 NBA draft I think it'll be decided in the next month I'll tell you why coming up on today's lock down thunder podcast

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From the MVP himself Derek shout out Derek and he was talking about Derek Parker ladies and gentlemen that is not edited at all he's literally I'm hand to the Lord himself that was about Derek Parker and Derek you're here taking us through the NBA draft and for the sake of argument let's just say that the thunder end up with pick number 15.

And that's what they have right now.

What do you think would be the most realistic and also best outcome for them at 15 is the draft class towns enough to see somebody fall who could be a guy who could get to 15 and you think is a great outcome for Oklahoma City.

It's tough right now because things are just so fluid like there hasn't really been that period of time where there's a lot of information now and people are kind of parsing through what's real what's not and kind of actually deducing the order and of course on draft night things go out the window even more.

So there's a lot of different options the first thing i'll say is that this draft class is really really good probably the best in four years of doing this seriously that i've seen.

The top is really really deep as we always talk about the debances and the boosers and the Peterson's are phenomenal Caleb Wilson's phenomenal the next group is great tier two but that also pushes people down further and further that pushes them to late top 10 that pushes them to the lottery that pushes them to number 15 so there's truly a lot a lot of options here.

The excellent board is going to continue to be the popular one he just fits so many different systems and schemes he is so versatile on both ends I truly do think from a feel and processing standpoint he is thundery Thomas Hauke out of Florida really good option no real fallback skills but so good at everything I think he's a winning player obviously played a crucial role on that Florida gators championship team.

Jane quaintants a player we've talked about probably done in college don't want to totally speculate but I mean we are in March the tournament is nearing I believe the most recent update from art Pope is that he's not that close so can put two to two two and two together and say that Jane quaintants is probably not going to be a Kentucky Wildcat much longer.

The knee injury is scary for a guy who is 17 years old but a huge athletic you averaged 3.7 stocks per game as a 17 year old freshman with the sun devils that sounds pretty thundery to me another mission again guy meres Johnson junior 15 is a little bit rich for him and we could be talking about you know the the funders later of the two first round picks but one of the best defenders in the entire class he is just so good is versatile you can switch one through five.

Tries his butt off can rebound can score play finish really really good I got more options you need more options violin how many you want well well I think they're going to get the more of your options here and just one second I want to ask you about the incidental tournament coming up best sporting event of the year and there's always Cinderella stories there's always magic it is just something that warms your heart to see the incidental tournament coming around last year we can point to Walter Clayton.

Junior who fit a specific criteria as a player before the tournament before the big dance before the national title run you know you were mentioning Walter Clayton Junior is a name to watch a prospect to watch but then that tournament run happened and it's not as though he appeared out of thin air but it did solidify him as like man everybody's got as a first round pick now everybody's got him at the top 30 minimum some people happen in the top 15.

Who's going to be that guy right now that you think some people like him in the first some people like him in the second but he everyone knows he's a draftable good player and this tournament is going to prove to everyone this is a first round guy and this is a guy that you should have a first round great on.

Yeah I think you mentioned criteria this happens to specifically players that either win the championship or play for the championship I think most of the time there's certainly guys who can boost their stock with a 16 run and a lead eight run final four run but more often than not you see these guys that can score the ball and that can 10 for the championship obviously Walter Clayton Junior did both of those things so in looking at that.

I think you need to look at teams who can genuinely contend for the answer double a tournament championship michigan lorda Houston I have Iowa state I understand the concerns um that may be the end of my list in terms of genuinely winning the whole thing dukes up there there's a few other teams but these are the ones i'm looking at michigan obviously we just touched on three guys a dimara.

Yeah excellent aboard whereas johnson junior none of them just absolute scoring machines I think everybody has most of these players within the first round Houston good crop of players probably no one on this list specifically the one i'm looking at is probably Joshua Jefferson he's kind of the catalyst to this Iowa state team not a known score of the basketball obviously he's he's leading the team in points per game or or second only to mom seal of it right now but he does.

Because everything he can pass if he were to have a really really good scoring tournament I have been on the first round train absolutely all season long if he were to take them to the final four take them to the national championship and score the ball really well the whole way I think he would absolutely lock himself in as a first round talent and maybe higher because again he can just do absolutely everything so he was really really good for them today against I believe it was Arizona state scored 20 points I believe led the team is scoring so Joshua Jefferson that's my pick.

I like that pick a lot I think that he can be someone who fits that mold especially kind of mirroring himself after what Clayton went through you mentioned that a lot of things are fluid now do you think that there's something that could be solved figured out by the rest of this season it's only a month left in the season for college basketball I know that the overseas least comes up sometimes ride right to the draft but is there anything to be figured out or are you saying that it's fluid in the sense of the draft is so good that there's so many differing opinions because it's so good.

It's hard to split these hairs that we're just never going to figure it out it's just going to be everyone's personal preference yeah I think it's basically going to be that but in terms of GM's like there's just so many varying factors here like all of these guards are kind of in the same range like we've got the Kingston Fleming various a cuff Michael Brown Jr. LeBaron Phylon tier GM's are going to have all these guys in different spots there's also going to be GM's that value the older guys such as Yaxxel in the board and

Johnson Jr. and some of these older players but it starts is going to be 23 on draft night like there's going to be teams that value this there's also going to be teams that exclusively hunt younger talent that they can develop for the future and until things are more set until we kind of get that info coming out we're just not going to know who's going to be there at 15 because it could be 20 different guys right now truly like I think there are players right now that could be drafted eighth those very same players could be taken at 20 and I really wouldn't blink so it's just so fluid right now I think there's a

core group of who you know is going to be there just like numbers wise like here's 20 players obviously five of those guys are going to be there for the thunder at 15 and and some of those guys I mentioned for you earlier so it's just kind of a thing over the next couple of months we're going to kind of have to parse out who we think is going to be there based on the intel from other teams and lead wide.

Let's say this was something fun Derek not that this whole thing hasn't been fun but something really a fun exercise for you I'm only limiting you to prospects who you feel really confident are going to make the answer to the tournament.

And so of those teams who you think are solidified the answer to the tournament give me your starting five positionless I'll give you that out you get a freebie there position starting five but you're starting five of five guys that you're willing to say these guys have the Derek Parker seal of approval a hundred percent I'm

staking my flag in these five guys and you should watch the tournament with these guys in mind of who I have given a first round passing a million times a million grade to this is fun I love this first my guy very easy brain buries I've been just hammering the brain

buries drum all year he got off to a slow start even then watching him I was like waving my arms of like this guy is just so good man he is so good at everything he can do

everything he can handle the ball he can shoot he can pass he can defend he is a true freshman on one of the best teams in the nation

brain buries must watch basketball I'll also go more as johnson junior I've talked about him a few times now again I do this all the time I don't want to speak for you all

Jews may be in this guy's future he is just a phenomenal defender I'm a defense first guy I've been fully transfixed by this

thunder rebuild and rest johnson junior as a defensive first guy really pops to me I want to go on a Steinbock probably not making the tournament

let's see Joshua Jefferson I mean he's certainly one of my guys again does it all his passing feels unbelievable his

facilitation is unbelievable to more

yeah so I think yaksal is certainly out there again can just do absolutely everything and the three point shot I will say I think is going to be good in this tournament I'll call that shot I'll be

brood that I think he's going to shoot the lights out of the the basketball one more my guy I don't know if I was making the tournament probably not

Baylor's not making the tournament is Texas making it for the sake of this segment yes

dailin swane final guy lock him in easy to talk to him about swane you pick them for the thunder when your recent mocks

yes Wayne absolutely a guy I think they would consider it number 15 lengthy wing athletic I talk about it all the time with you not a not a size that they have right now they have wing defenders

dailin swane is legitimately six eight he has legitimate athleticism would immediately be one of the most athletic players on the team can jump out of the gym he can defend he can pass has some funky on ball stuff good in the pick and roll only thing you can't do is shoot very consistently and I think that'll come around in the next handful of years so

dailin swane look out look out and de derrick this was a lot of fun I really appreciate you

let them know where they can go and find you with all of your extensive draft work but also your thunder stuff

yeah Derek dash parker on youtube I have draft stuff coming out every few days there in be a draft on SI thunder on SI

rylan touched on it earlier okay see dream team on patreon that's such a blast hanging out with all the the best minds on the beat

uh is that all I do I think that's it twitter de park okay

and de park okay you're everywhere you're gonna hit the button again he's eyes I am that button again I was eyeing the button again

you know she gave you a shout out so I'm not you're also a special contributor here I'm locked on thunder

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