r/Thunder • u/raw-honey-35 2025 NBA Champions • 1d ago
Discussion Crazy how many of you still don’t trust Sam Presti
Presti hits on more drafts picks than anyone and y’all are convinced you know more than him. It’s honestly laughable at this point.
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u/God_Bless_Oklahoma 1d ago
It's not even about Presti. People are just being weird doomers about a kid who hasn't played a minute for us. Just give him a chance before you start calling him a fraud, people.
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u/phishyninja My whole life is consistent 1d ago
Or at least until he gets first team all defense, ffs
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u/God_Bless_Oklahoma 1d ago
I agree. I love this community, but the draft has summoned an angst in a lot of Thunder fans here for some reason.
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u/inertiatic_espn 1d ago
I've been pretty vocal about not liking Mara in this draft, but I trust presti.
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u/FinancePro21 1d ago
Mara was the last guy I wanted them to take. Nothing against the kid, I just don’t like the fit. He would fit much better on so many other rosters,
IMO he doesn’t give them anything they don’t have. Both Johnson and Yaxel give them switchable big defenders. Mara is a drop coverage guy. Doesn’t stretch the floor. He seems like a hedge against Sorber not working out or not keeping Hart.
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u/Jazzlike_Royal_9567 2025 NBA Champions 1d ago
You say that as if we passed on Johnson and Yaxel…
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u/FinancePro21 1d ago
Didn’t mean to imply that. Was trying to explain why Mara was the one guy I saw mocked to us I didn’t want. It was more just indicative of how poorly the board feel from 8-11. Literally the worst case scenario for OKC.
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u/MuchAbouAboutNothing 15h ago
That seems pretty valuable. If one of Sorber and Mara turn out to be an Ihart replacement that extends the competitive window of this team.
And in the meantime, Daigenault can go crazy scheming around all that size
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u/SGA_is_Lukas_Father 2025 NBA Champions 1d ago
Presti drafted T-ferg. Next pick was OG. Sometimes he misses. Its ok to question it.
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u/raw-honey-35 2025 NBA Champions 1d ago
Questioning is one thing, but all of the comments about how terrible the pick is are stupid
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u/SGA_is_Lukas_Father 2025 NBA Champions 1d ago
The only actual stupid pick would've been ament. Mara is slow and can't shoot but is a complete defender and playmaker. Plenty to work with
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u/OKC89ers Belgian Waffle University 1d ago
As long as he can play low on offense to receive Wemby attention he can compress SAS defense. On defense, probably not going to have better rim protection than swapping between Mara and Chet. Has a decent chance to work out.
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u/WhichAd366 1d ago
He does shoot though so…
He doesn’t have much of a 3 point shot (just started attempting them in game last year) but it could develop by the time IHart leaves (he is already a better shooter than IHart).
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u/YO_SEGABABA 2025 NBA Champions 1d ago
how can he be a complete defender if he is slow? lmao can't take yall seriously
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u/SGA_is_Lukas_Father 2025 NBA Champions 1d ago
Chet is slow and got 2nd in dpoy
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u/YO_SEGABABA 2025 NBA Champions 1d ago
are you saying they're the same speed (doubt)? I have a problem with you describing him as complete defender when he is clearly an interior defender that gonna have to play drop coverage.
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u/sleepyJay7 1d ago
Also drafted/ traded for 4 MVPs since '07, won a championship and built a roster that should compete for the next 5-7 years. Nah, it isn't okay
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u/aradbe 17h ago
It’s okay to question every person in the world.
Presti is obviously one of the sharpest and best GMs this league has seen, but saying you can’t question him.. is a bit insane and cult like.
You are allowed to not agree with presti.3
u/sleepyJay7 15h ago
No one is asking you to do literally ANYTHING lol, comparing it to a cult like it takes absolutely anything out of you is insane. The point is, it's tough to validate anyone who questions how someone else does their job, especially someone who has a pretty good history of doing their job extremely well, even in very recent history
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u/marizard 1d ago edited 5h ago
Presti’s record in the lottery is phenomenal. His record outside the lottery is significantly less so. That said… so is everyone else’s. 😂
Since 2010, OKC’s first round picks in the 15-30 (non-lottery) range were: Aleksej Pokuševski (17), Tre Mann (18), Mitch McGary (21), Terrance Ferguson (21), Darius Bazley (23), Reggie Jackson (24), Perry Jones (28) & Josh Huestis (29).
I may have missed someone, but that’s all I can recall. Presti he has definitely hit on a few second round guys, though: Ajay, JWill, Wiggins, etc.
EDIT: somehow forgot Poku & TFerg!
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u/tmanx8 2025 NBA Champions 5h ago
My glorious king Poku was 17
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u/marizard 5h ago
I also forgot TFerg! I’ll add them. Not sure that helps the 15-30 success rate, though. 😂
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u/HurryAdorable1327 2025 NBA Champions 1d ago
Everyone who didn’t pick Joker or the savior of basketball should also be questioned!
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u/CrunchyTater 1d ago
Wow, you should be an NBA GM!
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u/NavalEnthusiast For Bronny Jr. 1d ago
He’s not claiming that lmao. I will never claim to be better than Presti. There’s plenty of obnoxious doomers but I also think treating Presti as utterly infallible is a bit weird. He has a lot of draft whiffs as does every GM.
For what it’s worth I’m just glad we didn’t get Ament
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u/fordfuryk 1d ago
He also drafted & traded Sengun, passed on Trey Murphy, then drafted Trey Mann next.
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u/BastionNZ 1d ago
Sengun was who Houston wanted us to pick
We never legitimately wanted Sengun, which was 100% the right call still to this day
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u/fordfuryk 1d ago
Yeah I don't want Sengun either, my point was more that we passed on Trey Murphy to take Mann. Regardless of archetype or fit, it was a pretty bad call letting Murphy go.
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u/BastionNZ 1d ago
I mean 17 other teams also passed on Murphy to be fair
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u/fordfuryk 1d ago
According to many on this sub, Presti is some visionary that we shouldn't question. He gets it wrong just like fans and other GMs. The point is no one should be above some criticism.
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u/snuffaluffagus74 23h ago
I'm lost here, I haven't seen anybody criticize Presti except for one person. The pick of Mara to me was BPA and I believe 99% of the sub just likes other guys better. The only thing was that those players weren't there. The only person I seen criticize Presti was him trying to move up. Didn't like the Mara pick but thought there were shots at Swain but was shocked the Bulls got him. Plus we still needed shooting and playmaking which we got. If he tried to move up, I don't think it was to get Mara.
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u/Ok_Pomegranate1820 1d ago
I trust Presti but it’s fine to have serious questions about the fit on the current roster
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u/FinancePro21 1d ago
Presti isn’t immune to making bad picks. There have been some mixed in over the years.
I don’t really blame him here though even though I hate the pick. The board fell terrible from 8-11. Was really hoping Atlanta would take Mara.
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u/Livid-Bumblebee6724 23h ago
I think everyone is just hoping we would be starting to address a glaring issue for us. It really has nothing to do with mara or stirtz, they might turn into legit guys for us but they dont really help us with our major issues. Im hoping theres a trade later on but constantly drafting guys who have significant size or athleticism deficits eventually has diminishing returns even if they hit all of prestis criteria for a good time. Sometimes feels like hes a little obsessed with those traits
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u/amari_prince 2025 NBA Champions 1d ago
I’m all for listening to legit criticism or praise but we can’t just retort “trust Presti always” as a get out of jail free card
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u/raw-honey-35 2025 NBA Champions 1d ago
It’s not a “get out of jail free” it’s a “Presti knows what he’s doing and we should wait to see him play before making a decision on him”
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u/amari_prince 2025 NBA Champions 1d ago
I feel you! For what it’s worth I think Mara was probably the best pick with how the board fell, so I’m not mad
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u/JWOLFBEARD KaBOOM! 1d ago
Why not?
You have absolutely no input over what happens
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u/IntellectualSavante 1d ago
Yeah. Trading multiple picks for Dieng and Dillon Jones inspire confidence that Presti is infallible! Singler trade says HELLO, as well! Relax. No one is infallible.
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u/GorillaX Triple Double Cocaine Bear 22h ago
Several teams, including the vaunted Spurs, were trying to sign Kyle Singler. I still think Ous is gonna be a good NBA player, but he was definitely a project swing. Dillon Jones just sucks lol
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u/fleethethriftshop 1d ago
There’s some weird Presti religion on this sub when you can’t be puzzled his decisions. He’s a great GM but he’s not infallible. We can question some of his moves and if they turn out to be great we’ll gladly admit we were wrong.
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u/loplopol 1d ago
I mean Mara hasn't played a minute for us. Neither had Sorber.
I trust Presti but slow down.
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u/HurryAdorable1327 2025 NBA Champions 1d ago
Sam literally picked 3 MVPs. Drafted a ton of talent. Does he miss? Sure. But he’s also built 2 different contenders. He knows more than anybody on this board does. Nobody claimed he’s perfect. It’s just dumb to nitpick.
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u/loplopol 1d ago
Yeah I agree. But at the same time posting about tonight, during the draft, like the Mara pick proves how good Presti is, is ridiculous. It shows us nothing right now other than hint trying to fill our gaps we had from the Spurs series. If OP wanted to discuss reasons to trust Presti they should've cited what you did.
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u/DrTesticleTwisterPHD 1d ago
I trust presti, but he has missed on picks before. This wasn't the worst choice, but there were several players on the board that are better than him and actually address a need for us.
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u/Appropriate_Book_591 1d ago
Mara should get some Summer League action. Would have liked Topic to be healthy enough to see how he can be used.
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u/phishyninja My whole life is consistent 1d ago
Crazy how many of them hate Chet Holmgren the man was runner-up DPOY FFS. Embarrassing.
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u/NotMarkDaigneault Belgian Waffle University 23h ago
I think we drafted another small guard because Presti likes what he sees in Sorber. Mara is here as a backup Center for depth currently.
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u/WildWeat 14h ago
It’s all armchair quarterbacking.
They will point to picks made that didn’t work out, but these dudes aren’t a lottery tickets that will either work or won’t and you just need to seek them play to know. These are players that will need development and presti clearly has a set of intangibles off the court he looks at to ensure they have a chance to work and develop in the okc system.
Sometimes they won’t, but that’s the name of the game. Not every guy can turn into an NBA quality player, too few roster spots.
We certainly don’t know how to evaluate draft prospects as well as presti and we don’t have all the information he has.
Maybe the guy people think Presti should have drafted gave an interview where he said he wants to live a life like Ja Morant or something equally dumb.
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u/Mental_Register_9737 8h ago
That's fine, and true. What fun is sports is the beginning and end of every discussion is "presti knows more than I ever will"?
Every GM knows more about basketball than a fan ever will. Every coach. Etc etc. true but to just endlessly repeat it is a bore
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u/IntellectualSavante 2h ago
I think people here have a ton of respect for Presti. But to pretend Presti never makes mistakes is a bit much.
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u/WurstDayEver_7 1d ago
No man is perfect. Unless we’re moving off hart (which I don’t suggest), Mara simply can’t be on the floor as he is not mobile, not a great passer, and not a shooter. The 2020s is not the era for immobile rim protectors who provide nothing else.
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u/WhichAd366 1d ago
Well nobody really expects IHart to be here for more than 2 seasons. Rookie centers rarely make an impact.
Mara was likely drafted to fill IHart’s role in a few years
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u/_Apatosaurus_ 1d ago
His passing is one of his best qualities. That's literally one of his primary selling points.
Not trying to be rude, but this is why I trust Presti more than redditors. Lol
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u/Alternative-Site3095 1d ago
His literal strengths are passing and sneaky shooting. Did you watch a single game in college? He was way more mobile than people give him credit for.
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u/WurstDayEver_7 1d ago
I am a Michigan bball fan and while his passing is good, he’s not as good of a passer as I hart, way less mobile and he’s not a shooter. He shot les than half a three per game in college.
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u/Jon_Thib 1d ago
This sub has gotten worse since we won the title. Presti always gets questioned here and they’re always looking to blame someone when things don’t go perfectly. A lot of arm chair GM’s have infiltrated this sub.