Thomas Sorber selected No. 15 overall by the Thunder | 2025 NBA Draft Grades & Instant Reaction

Thomas Sorber selected No. 15 overall by the Thunder | 2025 NBA Draft Grades & Instant Reaction

Back here on CBS sports HQ. On the clock on HQ. The Oklahoma City Thunder parading around town on Tuesday. Now they’re going to parade a new first round pick here in Thomas Sauber out of Georgetown last season. Ranked third among Division one freshmen with eight double doubles. Despite sitting out Georgetown’s last nine games due to a foot injury. Six foot ten, 255 pounds. And he is joining the defending NBA champions. And Adam, you and I were talking about guys they need to replace some of the players on the roster, and this is a guy that fits that mold in Thomas Sauber. Well, the mold is three years from now because they really don’t have any rotation minutes up for grabs. But when you talk about extending out this championship window, it comes down to retaining their three key players and SGA, J-dub and Chet. And that means the supporting cast is going to have to turn over if you can get contributing players on rookie contracts, not necessarily in their first year, but on that initial contract in year 3 or 4, then you’ve got a chance to stay under the second apron, which is key to having longevity. Sauber. I don’t expect him to make a big impact next year, but he’s tremendously long. He’s got magnetic hands and his rate of improvement in recent years has been absolutely off the charts. If he can keep that up, he’ll be able to contribute in a year or two. And that ultimately is what OKC is looking for. That’s exactly right. I’ve heard a lot of people look at OKC roster and say, hey, what do they even need? Nothing now. But eventually, like Fink has explained, because of that second apron, you are not going to be able to pay all of your role players. You’re going to pay the MVP. You’re going to pay Chet, you’re going to pay Jalen. But after that, you’re going to have a rotating cast of characters out with the old in with the new. You’re not drafting Thomas Sauber so he can help you win anything next year. You’re help. You’re drafting him so that he can help you maintain a championship level of success. When you can’t pay the other guys that the second apron prevents you from paying. If it wasn’t Sauber, who would you have selected? Well, someone like Liam McNeeley still on the board here. I was surprised that John Berea isn’t in play here because he’s an extreme athlete, rim runner, shot blocker, lob threat. Those would have been players that would have been on my board Walter Clayton for the shooting, the floor spacing. I think those are three of the guys that I have at the top of my list that are still available right now. All right. Let’s go back out to Avery Johnson, who is in Dallas, where they selected Cooper Flagg with the first overall selection and the reigning champions here, the Oklahoma City Thunder taking the big man out of Georgetown. What’s your reaction, Avery? I agree with the guys. This is a long term play because, you know, when you look at you know, when you look at Sauber, he should be focusing on not J-dub but Jalen Williams out of Arkansas because he’s he’s like the 10th or 11th man. He’s trying to get more time. He was actually pretty hilarious at the Oklahoma City Thunder Parade even though he used some bad language. But again this is a long term play. You know, when Hartenstein and those guys. Yes, you got to make a decision on whether you got to give those guys supermax contracts or Chet Holmgren becomes, you know, defensive player of the year. And that takes him to another level in terms of what type of contract that he can be offered in the future. You got to have your stockpile ready to go. So this is a 2 to 3 year play with a guy that they hope to develop, especially with this type of size. All right. Well, he he says he’s going to come in and do whatever is ask of him in Oklahoma City. So look that’s what

Adam Finkelstein, Gary Parrish, and Avery Johnson join CBS Sports HQ to grade Thomas Sorber being selected No. 15 overall by the Thunder.

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