Could another Kanter play in OKC?
Kerem Kanter, the younger brother of former Thunder center Enes Kanter, was in Oklahoma City on Monday as part of a pre-draft workout with the Thunder.
Will a Kanter be returning to Oklahoma City?
Kerem Kanter, the younger brother of former Thunder center Enes Kanter, was in Oklahoma City on Monday as part of a pre-draft workout with the Thunder, according to Kerem’s agent, Hadis Fetic, of Maestro Sports.
Kerem, 23, is preparing for the NBA Draft after completing his senior season at Xavier (Ohio) University.
Kerem played his first three collegiate seasons at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and represented the school at the NCAA Tournament in Oklahoma City as a sophomore while Enes was still on the Thunder.
At Xavier, the 6-foot-9, 245-pounder averaged 10.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in helping the Musketeers to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in March.
Following Xavier's NCAA Tournament exit, Kerem accompanied Enes to Game 5 of the Thunder's first-round playoff series against Utah in Oklahoma City.
The NBA Draft is Thursday in Brooklyn, New York. The Thunder currently does not have a first-round pick, but owns two secondround picks at Nos. 53 and 57 overall.
Kerem Kanter is currently projected to go undrafted by ESPN’s draft analyst Jonathan Givony.
Even if Kerem Kanter goes undrafted, getting into a workout setting is a good way to make an impression on NBA teams, particularly with Summer League approaching (July 6) and teams looking to solidify those rosters following the draft.
A strong showing in the Las Vegas Summer League could be parlayed into a G-League roster spot either with the Thunder or another organization.
Kanter's father sentenced in Turkey
Mehmet Kanter, the father of the former Thunder center, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Turkish government, Kanter’s representation confirmed to The Oklahoman on Monday.
Enes Kanter, who played 2½ seasons for the Thunder before being traded to the Knicks last summer, has been an outspoken critic of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Kanter is also a supporter of Fetuallah Gulen, a Turkish political figure in exile in the U.S. who is in direct opposition to Erdogan.
Kanter’s outspokenness has made him and his family a target of the Turkish government. Last summer, Kanter’s family home in Istanbul was raided by Turkish government and his father was arrested.
Mehmet, a professor, was released after five days in custody on condition that he regularly report to a police station. Kanter was also detained in a Romanian airport last summer after his passport was canceled by the Turkish government.
In December, the Turkish government sought a four-year prison sentence for Kanter for insulting Erdogan.
On Monday, Enes Kanter, who is training in Chicago, woke up to discover there was an arrest warrant out for his father, who traveled outside of Istanbul a few days ago to visit family members. Kanter’s father will be arrested or he will turn himself in to the Turkish authorities, but representatives for Kanter did not know if Mehmet had been detained as of Monday morning.
“No matter what happens, I will continue to keep fighting for human rights and freedom of speech, justice and democracy above all,” Enes Kanter said in a statement Monday. “I will stand for what I believe in. All I’m doing is trying to be the voice of all those innocent people.”
UK's Calipari likes Thunder's use of G-League
Three times in his nine seasons at Kentucky, John Calipari has coached the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.
But not every ex-Wildcat has had so direct a path to the NBA.
The Kentucky coach also is familiar with uphill climbs into the league, which a few of his players might face next season. And as he’s watched former players — including the Thunder’s Dakari Johnson — make it from the second round of the draft into the NBA, he’s come to appreciate good use of the developmental G League.
“I think there are teams in the league that have really utilized it,” Calipari said on a conference call Monday. “And I think because of the success of those teams — Oklahoma City and a couple others — the other teams will move toward that. Literally, we’re not just having a team to have a team. We want these kids to get on that court. We want them to play.”
That’s the route Johnson took to the NBA. The Thunder took the 7-foot center in the second round of the 2015 draft and he played two seasons for the Oklahoma City Blue before making his debut as a Thunder rookie last season.
Johnson’s career began before the advent of twoway contracts, or he’d have been a strong candidate for one. Two-day deals allow players to spend a maximum of 45 days in the NBA and the rest of their season in the G League.
The Thunder has used the Blue’s proximity to send two-way players and others — like Johnson, Josh Huestis and Semaj Christon — back and forth between the Blue and the parent club.
Kentucky guard Hamidou Diallo and forwards Jarred Vanderbilt and Wenyen Gabriel are options outside the lottery in Thursday’s draft, and all three could end up in the second round.
According to multiple reports, Gabriel has worked out for the Thunder.
“I’ve had guys that have gone in the second round and play their way into the NBA, and it’s a great way to do it,” Calipari said. “And then the up-and-down stuff, which now you have some two-way contracts, which I think are beneficial to those kind of kids too.”