OKC Thunder mailbag: Imagining a Chet Holmgren/Evan Mobley frontcourt

August is the quietest month on the NBA calendar, but we’re here to scratch your NBA itch with another Thunder mailbag.

This week we play revisionist history, decide which players to protect in a hypothetical NBA expansion draft and talk a trade for … Jakob Poeltl??? Oh, and of course there’s a question about Poku.

Let’s get to it.

Thunder mailbag:Can OKC make the NBA play-in tournament next season in loaded West?

@_SlimWitDaLac: Alternate timeline — if Thunder were able to draft Evan Mobley last year and still wound up with the No. 2 pick this year — would they have still drafted Chet or went in another direction?

Great question.

So that means OKC would’ve entered the 2022 draft with a cornerstone duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Evan Mobley instead of Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey. For as good as Giddey was last season, that’s a trade the Thunder would make.

Mobley, at just 21, is already an impact defender and elite shot blocker. He’s a skinny 7-footer with a projectable offensive skill set.

Sounds a bit redundant to then draft Chet Holmgren, right? Maybe. But I still think the Thunder goes with Holmgren over a more conventional fit like Jabari Smith Jr. This is assuming Paolo Banchero still goes No. 1 to Orlando. (By the way, what a trio SGA/Mobley/Banchero would be.)

I’m convinced the Thunder would’ve drafted Holmgren with the No. 1 pick. He’s oozing with upside, and he’s widely regarded as having the highest ceiling in his class. The Thunder loves lofty ceilings, and I don’t think they would set that aside over “fit” concerns.

Ideally, both Holmgren and Mobley are long-term centers. But if Mobley and Jarrett Allen can be a frontcourt force in Cleveland, then Mobley and Holmgren could certainly play alongside each other in Oklahoma City.

Good luck scoring in the paint (or anywhere on the court) against those guys. Neither are traditional, slow-footed bigs that would be preyed upon in the playoffs.

Offensively, Holmgren could slide to the four with Mobley at the five. Holmgren is a more natural creator and outside shooter.

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@mlchuckles: Let's say the coaching staff wants Chet to play a role similar to Anthony Davis at the four. Who/What would you trade for Poeltl?

We go from the Holmgren/Mobley frontcourt to the Holmgren/Jakob Poeltl frontcourt. This is why I love doing mailbags.

In all seriousness, Poeltl is an underappreciated player. He’s an excellent defender and an efficient offensive player. Last season, for the Spurs, Poeltl had career-high averages of 13.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He’s a career 63% shooter.

Poeltl appreciation aside, this isn’t a move that makes sense. At least not for this season or next. The Thunder needs to see what Holmgren is before it determines who he should be paired with.

If the staff doesn’t think Holmgren can handle the five this season, then maybe you keep Derrick Favors around to bear some of that load.

Trading for Poeltl is a win-now move, albeit on the fringes. The Thunder isn’t anywhere close to win-now mode.

More:OKC Thunder 2022-23 depth chart projection: Who starts? Who sits? What about Poku?

@oudustin18: Predictions for any surprises move/cuts before camp?

I doubt we’ll see anything before training camp starts in a few weeks. Teams don’t have to finalize their rosters until the end of camp.

I know that’s a boring answer, so I’ll throw out one bold idea. I could see the Thunder trading Darius Bazley to open up a roster spot. To be clear, I’ve heard nothing on that front, I just have a hard time seeing where he fits on this team.

I also think Favors could make the team, which would be perceived as a surprise.

OKC Thunder mailbag: SGA vs. Giddey, roster cuts and the mysterious Micic

@dylanoutloud: Let's say the NBA expands in 2023. You're only allowed to protect 7 players from being taken in the expansion draft. Who are you keeping?

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

2. Chet Holmgren

3. Josh Giddey

4. Lu Dort

5. Jalen Williams (J-Dub)

6. Ousmane Dieng

7. Tre Mann

The top three are obvious. Dort is as well, though he’s one rung below.

Ousmane Dieng and Jalen Williams were just picked 11th and 12th. The Thunder isn’t going to let those guys walk.

Mann is a change-of-pace guard who can flat out score. I’ll go with him over Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins, who would be eighth and ninth on my list.

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@Duffal0: Do you think Shai can be top 30 all time?

Umm, no. I think he’s a top-30 player now, but top-30 of all time? That’s an insanely high bar for a 24-year-old who’s yet to make an All-NBA or All-Star team.

@MJAshton_: Could a strong EuroBasket performance from Theo Maledon (France) or Vit Krejci (Czech Republic) sway Sam's decision for who gets cut from the OKC roster?

I highly doubt it. It’s another “data point,” as Thunder folks like to say, but Maledon and Krejci have been with the organization for almost two years. Presti and Co. mostly know what they have, or don’t have, with those guys.

@jgg512: Where do you see a player transformation or adjustment occurring that is not widely predicted or speculated (bad or good)?

There’s a higher defensive level(s) for Gilgeous-Alexander to reach.

Coming out of Kentucky, Gilgeous-Alexander was seen as a defense-first guard given his 6-foot-6 frame. However, in the NBA, SGA has emerged as an offensive dynamo. He’s shouldered so much of the Thunder’s scoring load that it’s understandable why he hasn’t been better defensively.

Also, there’s been little motivation in the last two seasons for him to exert himself on defense. I think we’ll see SGA become a solid defender once the pieces are in place and the stakes are higher.

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@GoGetWins: What might be the major obstacles behind Poku’s development so far? If a young player like him needs the G-league to tune up his games year after year, what does this indicate?

Finally, a Poku question. I was getting worried.

I don’t know what the major obstacles behind his development have been. That’s the behind-the-curtains look we’re not afforded. I can just go off what I’ve seen in games and what I’ve heard.

Last season, Mark Daigneault repeatedly challenged Poku to “compete.” At times it looks like Poku is floating or playing his own game outside of a team concept. He improved some in that regard last season, but he’s still inconsistent. There are still head-scratching lapses in his game.

He’s also a 20-year-old who was prematurely glorified — which no 17th pick should be.

To answer the second question, if Poku needs more time in the G League then that’s a major red flag. Yes, he’s young, but he’s entering his third season having logged 106 NBA games and more than 2,300 minutes.

You can’t compare him to a 20-year-old who was just taken in the draft.

If Poku develops into a reliable rotation player, that’s a giant win for him and the organization. I just wouldn’t count on it.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder: Imagining a Chet Holmgren/Evan Mobley frontcourt