Thunder Draft Prospect: Desmond Bane

With the season coming to a close next week, it is time to look ahead to the NBA Draft in November. For Thunder fans, the draft will become a yearly must watch event due to the fact that the team has stockpiled draft picks for years to come.

In this NBA Draft, the Thunder have the 25th pick in first round. The key draft needs for Oklahoma City are three point shooting and player versatility. Both of these can be found in Desmond Bane.

Bane is different to most of his peers as he played all four years of college at TCU. Desmond Bane will hit the Draft as a senior unlike most prospects who leave college after their sophomore season. In each of his four years, Bane became a better player. Bane went from averaging seven points per game in his freshman year to 16 points points per game in his senior year.

In addition to his steady improvement and maturity, Bane has good height for his position. As a 6’6 shooting guard Bane uses his height effectively and was a good rebounder for TCU. Desmond Bane averaged six rebounds per game this past season.

Bane was an elite three point shooter throughout his college career. For his career at TCU, Bane shot 43% from three. He was hugely efficient and unconscious from deep in his second year with the Horned Frogs. He shot 46% from three in his sophomore season.

How Bane would fit with Oklahoma City

Bane being taken in this year’s Draft would give the new Thunder head coach options. The new coach would have plenty of freedom to decide which wing players fit into the rotation. Bane, Hamidou Diallo and Luguentz Dort are all viable options for these positions.

Bane is the tallest of three and best shooter of the three. He could be quite valuable in lineups where the Thunder need to spread the floor. The Thunder would have the ability to choose a wing who works best in certain situations from this group.

The ideal outcome would be that Bane becomes a starter and gives the Thunder a bigger starting lineup. In this scenario, Bane would be learning from all ‘Three Amigos’. Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder are all successful players who bring something different to the table for the Thunder.

With some tutelage from guards on the Thunder, Bane could very well be a steal for Thunder. He already has NBA ready body and one elite skill in his perimeter shooting.