Thunder draft Theo Maledon, Vit Krejci in second round

The Oklahoma City Thunder went international in Wednesday’s NBA Draft.

With the 34th pick that they traded for with Philadelphia from the Al Horford trade, OKC selected Theo Maledon.

With the 37th pick, the Wizards drafted, then traded Vit Krejci to the Thunder in exchange for the 53rd pick that became Cassius Winston and likely cash considerations.

Maledon is a French point guard who can space the floor with his good outside shot, shooting 34.6% over three seasons in France. He has a good build for his position at 6’5” and 174 lbs. His strengths come from good skills and fundamentals, but his athleticism is underwhelming. His playmaking skills need improvement as he struggled to turn over the ball a bit. The 19-year-old will spend his rookie season with the OKC Blue instead of staying over in France.

Krejci is a strong athlete who tore his ACL two months ago. His position is a combo guard, and when healthy, he’s shown signs of versatility. The 20-year-old has not seen much action on the professional level. It will likely be a draft and stash candidate for the Thunder as he will spend the next couple of seasons over in the Czech Republic to recover from his injury and develop a healthy jump shot.

The Thunder’s 2020 draft class consists of the 17th overall pick Serbian Aleksej Pokusevski, the 34th overall pick Frenchmen Theo Maledon and the 37th overall pick Czech Vit Krejci.

None of these guys will make an impact right away and will be developmental projects.