After going undrafted in this years NBA Draft, it was unsure what the future held for Payton Sandfort.
Sandfort had a great career at Iowa, but injuries his senior year caused his stock to fall and he ended up going undrafted. He didn’t have to wait long to find out his next step. Shortly after the end of the NBA Draft, Jonathan Givony of ESPN announced that Sandfort would be signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder as an undrafted free agent.
For Sandfort, it’s hard to imagine a better landing spot for his development than with the reigning NBA Champions. The Thunder are known for drafting and developing talent that the rest of the league passed on. Whether it’s Aaron Wiggins, Jaylin Williams, Lu Dort or Cason Wallace, the Thunder’s development of talent is a huge reason why they won the NBA Championship last season. And Sandfort has the talent to succeed in the NBA.
During his four years at Iowa, Sandfort averaged 12.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He shot 36% from three on 5.7 attempts per game. Sandfort’s junior year was stellar, he averaged 16.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 38% from three. He was named the 2022-2023 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year and was named to the 2023-24 All-Big Ten team.
Now in Oklahoma City, Sandfort will have a chance to get better and develop with one of the best organizations in the league. All of Hawkeye Nation will be watching and excited to see how his NBA career develops.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Payton Sandfort inks deal with NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder
Reporting by Zach Hiney, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
