Best Draft Pick In OKC Thunder History

The Oklahoma City Thunder franchise has operated under two names in two cities since its founding as the Seattle SuperSonics in 1967. In Seattle, it won a championship in 1979 and produced some of the great players in NBA history. In Oklahoma City, it built one of the most talented young rosters the league had seen in decades. When it comes to who the best draft pick is in franchise history, three players stand out from all others. 

Gary Payton deserves mention first. Selected second overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1990 NBA Draft out of Oregon State, Payton spent twelve and a half seasons in Seattle and became the most dominant defensive point guard the league has ever seen. "The Glove" was a nine-time All-Defensive First Team selection, a nine-time All-Star, and a Hall of Fame inductee in 2013. 

Russell Westbrook was selected fourth overall in the 2008 NBA Draft out of UCLA by the Seattle SuperSonics, just six days before the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City. An MVP in 2017, nine All-Star appearances, and the all-time NBA leader in career triple-doubles, Westbrook averaged a triple-double for an entire season, not once or twice, but three times with the Thunder.   

While Payton and Westbrook are both deserving of the title, Kevin Durant takes the honor.  

A highly sought-after recruit from Washington, DC, Durant played for three different high schools before committing to play for the University of Texas. In his first and only season with the Longhorns, the lanky forward averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds, leading Texas to the NCAA Tournament. While the Longhorns would be knocked out in the second round, Durant finished his freshman season earning numerous National Player of the Year awards before declaring for the 2007 NBA Draft. 

In one of the more highly debated decisions in NBA Draft history, Durant would be selected second overall in 2007 by the Seattle SuperSonics after the Portland Trail Blazers drafted Greg Oden with the number one pick.  The Sonics, once a staple of the Western Conference playoffs, had fallen on hard times in the two seasons before Durant’s arrival.  Joining a team in need of a rebuild, but filled with role players and journeymen, the Sonics struggled once again, posting a 20-62 record. By averaging 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, Durant joined Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James (to that point) as the only teenagers in NBA history to average at least 20 points per game in their rookie season. He capped the year off by winning Rookie of the Year before the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City.

What followed over nine seasons with the SuperSonics and Thunder was one of the most impressive individual careers the NBA has ever seen. Four scoring titles, an MVP award in 2014 when he averaged 32 points per game, six All-NBA First Team selections, and a Finals appearance in 2012. 

It had been sixteen years since the franchise had last been to the NBA Finals, when the Sonics fell 4-2 to the Chicago Bulls dynasty. After running through the Dallas Mavericks and LA Lakers in the first two rounds, the Thunder outlasted the San Antonio Spurs 4-2 to advance to the 2012 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. Leading the Thunder’s scoring attack in four of the five games, Durant finished the series averaging 30.6 points per game, although OKC would fall 4-1. 

Durant would spend four more years with the Thunder, but failed to return to the NBA Finals. After falling to the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, Durant did the unthinkable in the eyes of Thunder fans when he signed with the Warriors as a free agent just months after their playoff meeting. 

While he may have become public enemy number one in the eyes of Thunder fans, one cannot look past Durant’s accomplishments both in Seattle and Oklahoma City. Payton is justifiably a legend in Seattle, and Westbrook became the heart and soul of the franchise when his running mate left town. Although he may have found greater success elsewhere, Durant was the greatest player this franchise has ever had and their best draft pick of all time.