The draft is a very important thing in the NBA league, it is a guarantee of a team's future, and it is also a test of the level of a team's management. A high-level team management can build a foundation for the team and win championships through the draft. We can see that over the years, if there is a team whose management has the highest level of draft picks, the management of the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by general manager Presti, is convincing in terms of draft quality.
In the early years, the Thunder selected the Thunder three young people for three consecutive years, Durant, Wei Shao and Harden, and all three of them eventually grew into MVPs and superstars. After Wei Shao left and the Thunder began to rebuild, the level of the Thunder management in terms of draft was still unambiguous. In recent years, they have drafted players such as Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Giddey, among others, all of which are very good options. People say that in the NBA league, the draft looks at the Thunder, and this sentence is true.
In this year's draft, the Thunder management seems to have picked the right one again. Their rookie Dillon Jones, who was drafted with the 26th pick in the first round, shone in the preseason. In an NBA preseason game two days ago, the Thunder defeated the New Zealand Breakers 117-89. In that game, No. 26 show Dillon Jones played 35 minutes, shooting 8-of-13 from the field, 2-of-3 from three-point range, 5-of-6 from the free-throw line, and scored 23 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks, with a plus/minus of +25, but 6 turnovers were also a fly in the ointment.
It is worth mentioning that Jones was selected by the Thunder for 5 second-round picks, so it seems that the Thunder's 5 second-round picks are still very worthwhile. Of course, this is just a preseason game, and it may not be conclusive that this player will develop into a good player, but at least he has shown the potential to be a good player, and Presti and the Thunder management, their level is still very impressive.
The Thunder have gone from being a rebuilding team in just a few years to becoming the favorites in the West, and with a large number of future first-round picks, the future of this team is bright. A good general manager is really important for a team. If you look at a team like the Lakers, which is in a situation where they are eating their old books, it is a stark contrast. It can only be said that the goods have to be thrown away!