Exclusive: NBA draft expert breaks down Thunder's 2025 class, Nikola Topic

The calendar has flipped to July, which means the NBA is in the middle of one of its busiest months. The Summer League has kicked off. The annual multi-week extravaganza gives teams a chance to see some fresh faces suit up for the first time in uniform after being drafted a couple of weeks ago.

Fresh off an NBA championship, the Oklahoma City Thunder get to afford the rare luxury of a blue-chip prospect headlining their Summer League squad. Nikola Topic has finally suited up after sitting out last year due to a torn ACL. He went No. 12 in the 2024 NBA draft.

The Thunder came away with Thomas Sorber at No. 15 and Brooks Barnhizer at No. 44 in the 2025 NBA draft. While only the latter will play this July, that doesn't mean OKC fans can't get excited about what the trio of rookies can bring next season and beyond.

To break down Topic, Sorber, Barnhizer and OKC's UDFA class, Thunder Wire interviewed NBA draft expert Derek Parker. The SI guru discussed what he liked about the Thunder's haul and how they can fit the title contender for both the short-term and long-term future:

General thoughts on Sorber, Barnhizer:

"I think overall it was a good draft for OKC. I think they addressed some potential areas of need. Sorber was one of my favorite prospects in the class. I think he offers a floor and a decently high ceiling, just given his genetic makeup as both a stingy defender and a guy who should be able to get some easy offense with rim running. He's got some workable mid-range stuff, like just a solid player in general.

"Barnhizer was a surprise, but one that makes sense. Knowing the Thunder and what they look for. He's a wing. He's got that long wingspan. Does everything well except score the basketball. So, a decent project at that second-round pick. So decent class for the Thunder. I wasn't as high on Barnhizer as I was on Sorber going into the class. But again, makes sense from an Oklahoma City perspective."

Thunder value positive wingspan:

"Yeah, I think people get really caught up in height. You know, 'How tall is the guy? Did he come in at 7-foot? Or is he 6-10, 6-11?' The Thunder have really found out that wingspan, more often than not, is the deciding factor. I mean, we've seen Jalen Williams size up all the way to the five. He can play the point guard, and his wingspan is obviously over 7-foot. So I think they've somewhat cracked the positional code. It allows guys to be really positionally versatile. I think Sorber and Barnhizer and plenty of the other guys across this roster fit into that pretty well."

On Sorber's 6-foot-9, 270-pound frame:

"I think it can work to his advantage in the NBA. You know, he is a little on the shorter side. Again, he's got the 7-foot-6 wingspan, which should help him play the true five. But it never hurts to have pounds on some guys in the NBA. He's going to go against some huge dudes. I think he plays the true five. I think he will be playing center for the Thunder down the road. So it's not going to hurt to have the build that he does. He doesn't look too big to me. I think he moves around. Well, he's, of course, got slower feet. I don't think that has anything to do with the weight he came in at. So I think it'll help in that area."

On Topic and where he'd fall among 2025 draft:

"I was really high on him in his own class. In the 2024 draft class, I had him No. 6 overall on my board, even after the knee injury. I knew that he would be a player that teams needed to take a patient approach with, anyway. The point guard position will take so much time to rev up for these players, so I knew he would be somewhat of a multi-year project anyway. So I didn't dock him for the knee injury."

"And then in this class. The 2025 draft class, while I think the class as a whole was much deeper. I think he projected to be stylistically pretty similar to Kasparas Jakucionis, which I had No. 7 on my board. So he would have been probably a top 10 prospect in this class, too. For me, I just value his feel for the game, his passing ability, his size. I think he's got some sneaky athleticism in terms of getting downhill. He's got a decent first step. His driving is very decisive. So I was high on him. I remain high on him moving forward."

Any Thunder SL roster standouts:

"Jazian Gortman in the first game really impressed me. He's got a good blend of everything. I think he had double-digit scoring. He had a couple of assists. He's a player that's kinda bounced around some, but always one that you got to keep your eye on when a team signs him. He's just always kinda stood out to me, and I think he kinda showed that in their first Summer League game."

More from Parker:

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Exclusive: NBA draft expert talks Thunder's 2025 class, Nikola Topic