Nor is it normal for someone 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds to possess such impressive athleticism, much of which remains untapped at age 21. Also rare is that Ibaka still was available when the Oklahoma City Thunder selected 24th in the 2008 NBA Draft. The Thunder once again possesses the No. 24 pick in next week's draft, but to anticipate getting another player of Ibaka's ilk would be ludicrous.
As a whole, the 24th pick rarely pans out well. In fact, the overall success rate of late first-round picks is underwhelming. In the past decade, roughly 30 percent of players drafted outside the Top 10 of the first round already are out of the league. Since the 2000 draft, 61 of 204 players (29.9 percent) selected between Nos. 10-30 no longer are in the NBA.
Of players drafted between Nos. 20-30 in the last decade, 61.1 percent were traded before their fourth season; 54.4 percent averaged less than 1,500 minutes (18.3 per game); 20.2 percent started 70 games during one of their first four seasons; and 6.7 percent made an All-Star team. A handful of solid players have been taken with the 24th pick in the first round. Brian Shaw, Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell, Derek Fisher and Andrei Kirilenko come to mind.
In its three seasons of existence, OKC already is quite familiar with players drafted at the No. 24 spot, having acquired Ibaka and two centers in Nenad Krstic (via free agency) and Byron Mullens (via Dallas). There is no certainty the Thunder will retain the No. 24 pick next week, possibly trading it for a future draft choice since this year's pool is widely considered the weakest since the 2000 draft – 1. Kenyon Martin; 2. Stromile Swift; 3. Darius Miles; 4. Marcus Fizer; 5. Mike Miller; 6. DerMarr Johnson; 7. Chris Mihm; et al.
Remember, the team that originally owns the No. 24 pick had the league's seventh-best record the previous season and often doesn't have much room on its roster, unlike weaker teams. Such is the scenario next week for the Thunder, which has 13 of its 15 players signed at least through the 2011-12 season.
Source: NewsOk.com