Fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder see the light at the end of their rebuilding tunnel; they nearly made the playoffs as the eight-seed this past season, and with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, fresh off a first team All-NBA selection, still only 24 years old, better things are yet to come for the youngest team in the NBA.

They may have missed out on the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes as a result of their surprising 40-win season, but Thunder fans will still be pleased with where their team is at the moment.

Nevertheless, the Thunder still have a golden opportunity to add to their burgeoning young core with the 12th overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. Again, given the lack of consensus outside the top-three, draft night will surely be mayhem as draft boards and mock drafts get turned on their heads.

In fact, just last year, the Thunder drafted a player with future All-Star written all over him in Jalen Williams in the same draft spot; perhaps Sam Presti and his group of front office geniuses could work their magic once more as they try to unearth the next late lottery star. (OKC did not draft Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but it's a neat coincidence that their foundational piece was also taken around that draft spot.)

Given the plethora of directions the Thunder could conceivably take come June 22nd, it's hard to pinpoint which players have, for certain, caught the franchise's eye. Even then, given the tools the Thunder front office has taken a liking towards in recent years, these players, despite not being surefire lottery picks, could very well see their value skyrocket the closer we are to the NBA Draft.

These are three sneaky players the Thunder may end up taking with the 12th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft.

Dereck Lively II, Duke

The Thunder have made it a point to target players with tools that could translate to the next level. Jalen Williams is a prime example of this; in addition to his impressive NBA Draft Combine showing last year, his defense and tenacity made him such a tantalizing prospect at #12 even though he didn't exactly square off against the best collegiate opposition.

Dereck Lively II is a player who stands out as someone with all the tools to become an impact player at the next level. Standing at 7'1 with a a jaw-dropping 7'8 wingspan, he can also move his feet gracefully on the perimeter, giving him potential to become one of the more versatile defenders in the league. A frontcourt duo of him and Chet Holmgren, if they both reach their considerable defensive potential, should instill fear in the opposition's hearts.

Moreover, some scouts believe that he can develop the ability to shoot from range as he progresses; Lively, after all, is only 19 years old. At this point in his career, however, Lively is more of a dive man in the pick-and-roll, showcasing some buttery touch near the hoop.

Alas, at the moment, the game may be too fast for Dereck Lively II. Lively, as intimidating a help defender as he is, routinely finds himself lost in the shuffle while defending more nuanced actions. Offensive sets will only get more complex in the NBA.

But the Thunder could, perhaps, bring him along slowly. They still have Holmgren, Jaylin Williams, and perhaps Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to soak up frontcourt minutes, so Lively won't have to be thrown into the fire in day one.

Leonard Miller, G-League Ignite

Leonard Miller may not be too sneaky of a target for the Thunder at #12, since ClutchPoints beat reporter Brett Siegel has him landing with OKC in his latest mock draft.

But there are still some pundits who view Miller as more of an outside the lottery guy around the 17 to 25 range. Miller, for all his physical tools (he's standing at 6'10 with a 7'2 wingspan), isn't a threat from deep at this point. He'll have to polish that skill of his to impact the game as much as he could.

He's also not making the most out of his athletic gifts at the moment, especially on defense.

Still, given the more complementary role Leonard Miller would play with the Thunder, he can perhaps fine tune the nitty-gritty parts of his game the further he transitions into his NBA career.

Bilal Coulibaly, Metropolitans 92

Bilal Coulibaly is more than just Victor Wembanyama's teammate in France. Coulibaly can hoop; at 6'8, he can glide past defenders all the way to the hoop with ease.

His athletic gifts are his bread and butter at the moment; but at 18 years old, Coulibaly has time to polish his three-point shooting and ballhandling skills for him to avoid being the next cautionary tale for reaching on unproven international prospects.