NBA Draft
Oklahoma City Thunder Select Josh Huestis at No. 29
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
With the 29th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Josh Huestis, the four-year Stanford University product.
With Huestis, the Thunder have someone who can play a specific role and that role is defense. It looks like this pick was made with probability that defensive specialist Thabo Sefolosha will not be re-signed for the coming season. Huestis is a small forward who can also guard the small forward position.
Huestis, standing 6’7 with a 7’1 wingspan, is a hard-nosed, long-armed defender with toughness as his calling card. You might remember him from the NCAA tournament when he played a major part in neutralizing Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins. It appears the Thunder’s talent evaluators certainly did.
It’s unclear how much playing time Huestis will get next season behind like-players such as Kevin Durant, Perry Jones and even Andre Roberson, the assumed defensive-guru heir apparent, but he looks to be a solid pick for Oklahoma City. Huesits will likely see time in the D-League gaining experience on the floor playing with the Tulsa 66ers.
He has promise, though, with his ability to rebound and defend with solid athleticism on the offensive side of the court. He averaged 11.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in his senior year. It would be nice if he had outside shooting in his arsenal or shot the ball consistently; maybe he can develop in time.
