As the NBA and college basketball seasons progress simultaneously, mock drafts are beginning to become more frequent.
With every game at each level, scouts and analysts learn more about this year’s prospects, and the needs of each professional team. Recently, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report published a mock draft that slotted two college basketball players to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
At pick No. 12, Wasserman paired South Carolina sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles with OKC.
Listed at 6-foot-8 and 245 pounds, Murray-Boyles is averaging 15.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, one steal and one block while shooting 59% from the field through the first four games of the 2024-25 season. As a true freshman in 2023-24, the Columbia, SC, product tallied 10.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, one block and one steal while shooting 59.7% from the floor.
In the article, Wasserman compared Murray-Boyles to Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle. Murray-Boyles is not a perimeter shooting threat, and would need to improve from 3-point range if Sam Presti and company elected to draft the Gamecocks’ standout.
Next, Wasserman slotted North Carolina freshman Drake Powell to the Thunder with the No. 15 pick.
Powell is a former five-star recruit who is currently playing his first season of college basketball. Listed at 6-6 and 195 pounds, the coveted wing was rated the No. 11 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.
Three games into his college career, Powell is averaging 4.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per contest while shooting 29.4% from the field. The first-year player has certainly struggled to score thus far, but has clear NBA skills and more than 20 games throughout the season to improve his offensive performance.
In his mock draft, Wasserman compared Powell to Herbert Jones, who earned All-Defensive honors in 2023-24.
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