National Basketball Association

OKC Thunder could use T.J. Leaf's 3-point shooting alongside Westbrook

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:41 p.m. ET

Fansided, Albert Dadson/FanSided via Hoops Habit

The OKC Thunder have a lot of options at No. 21 in the 2017 NBA Draft, but they know they will have to draft a forward that can shoot. T.J. Leaf can provide shooting and a combination of him and Russell Westbrook would help OKC.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are picking at No. 21 in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft, and one of their options is a stretch-4 type of player. A stretch-4 player is someone who can play the power forward position, but still have guard-like abilities in terms of putting the ball on the floor and being able to shoot from the perimeter.

Although players like Cliff Robinson were stretch-4s in the '90s, it has now become almost necessary to have a player that can stretch the floor at the power forward position. Robinson was one of the three only players that have made 1,200 three-pointers at 6'10" or taller. It is so popular now that it is crucial to have at least four players on the floor that can shoot the three-ball in your starting lineup.

The two teams in the NBA Finals this year had that. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green were the players for the Golden State Warriors, while Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith, LeBron James and Kevin Love were the four for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In the only Finals game the Cavaliers won, they made 24 three-pointers, which is now the single-game Finals record. It is crucial to be able to make threes in this NBA.

The Thunder were the worst three-point shooting team in the NBA in terms of three-point percentage, at 32.6 percent.

Adding a player like T.J. Leaf would be a great addition because of his size and his ability to shoot the three. Leaf shot 46 percent from three in his single season at UCLA. He also averaged 16.3 points a game.

Mar 9, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UCLA Bruins forward TJ Leaf (22) is defended by USC Trojans guard Shaqquan Aaron (0) and USC Trojans forward Nick Rakocevic (31) during the first half during the Pac-12 Conference Tournament at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports

Leaf has the numbers that the Thunder would be looking for, and he also can play a certain way with the Thunder's superstar player Russell Westbrook. With Leaf's 6'10", 225-pound frame, he would be the definition of a stretch-4 for the Thunder and if they watch the tape of the Cleveland Cavaliers stretch-4 Kevin Love, then they will be able to see Leaf's potential.

When Kyrie Irving comes down the court, the Cavs like to run a play where they do a pick-and-roll at the top of the three-point line and then Love flashes to the three-point line after Irving goes through the screen. With how much attention that Russell Westbrook, draws he would definitely get both defenders to chase him, leaving open opportunities for Leaf to get buckets.

Leaf's size and his ability to shoot would create more offense for the Thunder, which is needed for the team to be able to develop and become a contender again. Rather than telling Westbrook to put his head down and basically be the only offensive threat, they would add a piece can be used to methodically break defenses down by playing team basketball.

With limited cap space and it being almost impossible to draw a big-name free agent in the offseason, the Thunder will have to make the right draft choice. Leaf seems like a very good pick.