14. Oklahoma City Thunder: Frank Kaminsky, F/C
Original Pick: Cameron Payne, PG
The exact moment that the Charlotte Hornets selected Frank Kaminsky with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, fans knew they’d regret using such a premium pick on him. And indeed, the Hornets probably have regretted it just simply based on value. He was great for Wisconsin, but he never had and still doesn’t have the upside of other prospects. With that being said, Kaminsky has somewhat proved people wrong by showing that he does have some value in this league to date.
To get the elephant out of the room, the biggest bugaboo for Kaminsky to this point has been his efficiency on the offensive end of the floor. Despite being billed as a versatile big man that’s able to stretch the floor, he’s been far from that with any level of consistency. Over his 156 career games played, Kaminsky has hit on just 40.3 percent of his overall attempts and only 33.1 percent of his 3-point attempts.
With that said, where Kaminsky has actually proven to be somewhat valuable is as a defensive role player. Through his two seasons, Kaminsky has totaled four defensive win shares. That’s compared to only 1.6 on the offensive end of the floor, which would’ve shocked anyone as he came out of college.
It’s also worth mentioning that Kaminsky has been done no favors offensively in Charlotte, the end of the floor where they’ve struggled the most as a team under Steve Clifford. Perhaps in another offense, he’d better be able to thrive and develop some level of consistency. That’s why he’s this high in the redo, as I’m holding on hope until there’s no rope left to grab onto.