NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 10: Markelle Fultz lands in Boston

The Russell Westbrook era in Oklahoma City appears to be off to a fine start as the team is in line to make the Western Conference playoffs. The Thunder, though, are still in need of a wing defender who can actually knock down an outside shot.

Villanova’s Mikal Bridges is a bit of a sleeper first round pick, but he should be able to fill that role nicely. After a rough shooting season as a freshman, Bridges is now converting 38.1 percent of his triples as a sophomore. His better than 80 percent numbers from the free throw suggest that he’s more likely a good shooter than a bad one. Bridges is also an effective cutter on offense and even if he doesn’t have excellent on-ball skills, he should fit in nicely as an efficient scoring compliment.

Defensively, there’s a lot to like about a 6-foot-7 wing prospect with a nearly 7-foot-1 wingspan. Bridges has been responsible for 2.1 steals per 40 minutes during his college career, often helping the Wildcats turn defense into offense in transition. His length also let him compile a 3.6 percent block rate as a freshman, although that number has slipped as a sophomore.

Bridges’ collection of skills is in line with what a number of NBA teams are looking for at the position, which is what makes him a late first rounder on my board.