Members of the Thunder workers have been noticed in Australia this week for the NBL preseason. The National Basketball League has produced 4 first spherical picks within the final three NBA drafts, three being lottery picks.
Two of those lottery picks, Josh Giddey and Ousmane Dieng, ended up in Oklahoma City. The Thunder returned to the NBA’s new recruiting grounds this season to take a peek at Rayan Rupert, a member of Dieng’s former staff, the New Zealand Breakers.
Rupert is the NBL’s subsequent tantalizing younger prospect; the 18-year-old wing has already been slotted within the first spherical of NBA mock drafts. General Manager Sam Presti has a proclivity for drafting worldwide gamers, in 2020, the Thunder used all three of its picks on worldwide gamers. Looking even additional again, Presti drafted the likes of Serge Ibaka, Alex Abrines and Steven Adams.
Considering Presti’s fondness for overseas gamers, it’s straightforward to see the place the attract lies within the 6-foot-7 French wing. In France, Rupert attended INSEP, the place fellow Frenchman Tony Parker and Ousmane Dieng performed of their highschool days.
The Breakers’ new star has a powerful basketball lineage as properly. His father, Thierry Rupert, started taking part in professionally in France as a 16-year-old. Rayan’s sister, Iliana, presently performs for the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA.
Rupert, who has a 7-foot-3 wingspan, averaged 13.7 factors, 3.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a pair of.1 steals final season at INSEP. While Rupert’s statistics aren’t eye-popping, his highlights certain are.
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The prolonged wing steadily flies into passing lanes, utilizing his velocity and stifling lengthy arms to tear the ball away from the opposition earlier than it may possibly attain their fingertips. Once Rupert has the ball in his arms, it is a monitor meet to the rim.
Rupert’s bodily items permit him to get to the basket and end above the rim simply, making the 18-year-old a nightmare to matchup with in transition. The NBL prospect additionally had a superb displaying as a shooter in his first NBL motion, making the younger prospect much more attractive for Presti and the Thunder, who had the bottom 3-point share of any staff within the league final season.
When contemplating OKC’s taking pictures woes, Presti’s love for gamers from abroad and Rupert’s youth, it’s straightforward to see why the Thunder have been eager on taking an early take a look at one in all 2023’s prime worldwide prospects.
If Rupert continues to impress over the course of his first NBL season, you may make certain that Presti and OKC shall be again in Australia earlier than the 2023 NBA Draft.
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story by The Texas Tribune Source link