OKC Thunder Get Steal In Perry Jones III

The Oklahoma City Thunder weren't expecting to make a lot of noise in the 2012 NBA Draft. With the 28th overall selection, the Thunder weren't in a position where a big name would fall into their lap.

Of course, that's exactly what happened.

The Thunder selected Perry Jones III of Baylor University. Jones, thought by many to be a top-15 selection at least, suffered a major free-fall through the first round after concerns about his knee and toughness brought his draft stock down.

Jones, a 6'11, 234 pound forward came out after his sophomore season with the Bears. He originally had planned to come out after his freshman season, but he decided to stay in school to become a better player.

For his career at Baylor, Jones averaged 13.7 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game. Jones is a very athletic player, and has limitless potential due to his high talent level. However, he didn't live up to the superstar expectations that were placed on him when he got to Baylor.

Jones was a fairly passive player at Baylor, almost too much of a teammate, refusing to take over games. Oklahoma City is a great situation for him because he won't be looked at as ‘the guy,' so there won't be any pressure on Jones to perform at a high level right away.

The environment of OKC should also bode well for Jones. Being surrounded by so much young talent that will help him become a great player will be a positive for Jones.

There had been rumors Oklahoma City was thinking of making a move to grab Bradley Beal, who went No. 3 to the Washington Wizards. It appeared that would be the only way the Thunder would make a splash with their only pick in the draft.

Thursday night, the Thunder didn't have to do anything to make a splash.