The Thunder’s Sam Presti gives Marc Daigneault two coveted first-round picks in the midst of a title defense

They are two years away from the 12th pick in the 2024 draft. Oklahoma City Thunder executive vice president and GM Sam Presti he has both prospects — Nikola Topic and Jared McCain — that he favored Mark Daigneault. Having both keepers couldn’t have come at a better time. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is out with an abdominal injuryAjay Mitchell has not played since January, and Jalen Williams will be re-evaluated in March.

The loss of three leading scorers showed Oklahoma City’s inability to reach any sort of 119.4 point average without its reigning MVP and two of the Thunder’s top four scorers. It’s a good thing Presti parted with a 2026 first-round pick and two future seconds at the trade deadline to acquire the young guard he’s had his eye on since McCain’s 2024 pre-draft workout with the Thunder.

Presti also believed in the 19-year-old Serbian prospect with a vintage approach to the fullback position despite a season-ending ACL injury. Presti was fine with the rookie Topic, who the Thunder selected 12th overall in 2025-26. Back then, no one could have predicted what followed after the Thunder’s one preseason game. Now, both McCain and Topic are playing in Oklahoma City at unexpected times in their careers.

Jared’s trade from the Philadelphia 76ers brought him to tears. The subject is four months away from a cancer diagnosis. All of this was unexpected, but both men fit the Thunder’s offense like a glove. McCain’s ability to create and find open threes gives Daign another shooter at his disposal. Topic gives the Thunder a secondary playmaker who can also score on rebounds off the bench, as he has already proven in the first two games of his NBA career.

Couple that with another win for Thunder GM Sam Presti amid coach Marc Daigneault and the defending champions’ bid for back-to-back titles.

Jared McCain scored a season high in the Thunder’s win against the Nets

Sophomore guard Jared McCain has made at least one 3-pointer in each of his five appearances for the Thunder. He’s also efficient, connecting on 9-of-20 (45%), including half of his six 3-point attempts in a 105-86 win against the Nets. McCain led the Thunder with a season-high 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting, four rebounds and one steal. And his presence also had a positive effect on the supporting team of the defending champions.

Isaiah Joe, who has drained at least two 3-pointers in five straight games, extended his streak to six en route to 11 points as his hot streak continued in Friday’s win against the Nets. Joe is shooting a career-best 41.7% from deep this season. However, that percentage rises to 55.8% on a whopping 19-of-34 attempts in the five games since McCain’s arrival.

Still, Thunder head coach Mark Daigno reminded reporters that it’s not all about shooting with McCain and Joe, as their increased roles amid Oklahoma City’s injuries have expanded to other things that help win.

“That’s not the only thing they do,” Daigneault said. “Jared is a guy who – he’s dynamic offensively – has more to his game than just shooting. You could see that tonight. Then Isaiah Joe made a great rebound tonight. We play him a little bit on the court even though he’s an easier guy because he’s physical, he executes and he plays the nose game.

“It’s not just the simple use of shooting. It’s being able to get them out there because of the other skills they bring. But, yeah, we have an option, and that’s what you want. You never know what you’re going to need. You never know who’s going to be good. We try to rely on that, obviously, them, and they give us more options, and they definitely give us more options,” Daigneault concluded.

Since McCain joined the Thunder, Joe is averaging 15.8 points on 49.4% shooting, including 55.8% from deep, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.

“We all have a role to play, and we all know that, and they’ve done a great job of helping me do that. I think we can all create shots for each other when we get the ball going. Good things are going to happen when the ball gets going,” McCain said. “(We’re) figuring it out as we go. It’s hard to do it without those guys. We’re figuring it out, though.”

Nikola Topic’s playmaking closes the Thunder’s victory

While goals from Jared McCain and Isaiah Joe gave the Thunder a double-digit cushion, Nikola Topic, in just his second NBA game, shut the door in the final frame with playmaking, shooting and smooth finishes at the rim. For coach Marc Daigneault, Thunder’s Topic is a traditional pure peak with a “pass first” mentality and the confidence to score when he sees fit.

Daigneault says Topic is a testament to what the NBA is missing contemporary spies during the Thunder head coach’s postgame media availability on Friday.

“Basketball doesn’t have a lot of true pure point guards anymore. There’s incredible skill, but traditional team runners, there’s not a lot of those guys, and he’s that: He can carry your team,” Daigneault said. “He’ll organize you down to the floor. He understands what we’re trying to accomplish even at this extremely early stage in his career, and he’s got enough passing to do that.”

“He’s got a long way to go. He’s got a lot to learn even offensively in terms of creating an advantage, reading different reports that he’ll see when the league teaches him a little bit; it’s going to be a new challenge for him. But he’s off to a great start.”

Topic finished with nine points, three rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes as the rookie point guard continues to be in the prime of his career. Still, Daigneault sees his team benefiting from both McCain and Topic’s influence amid the Thunder’s title defense.