The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Boston College guard Reggie Jackson with the 24th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft on Thursday, giving them a third point guard in a rotation that includes Russell Westbrook and Eric Maynor.

Jackson is a long and athletic player who can shoot the long and mid-range jumper. He also has the potential to be an above-average defensive stopper, especially if Thabo Sefolosha continues to decline. Westbrook and Maynor will continue to be the top two point guards on the team and will eat up the majority of the minutes. However, Jackson can fill in if injuries occur or if somebody just goes cold.

Reports say that Jackson’s agent tried to hide the player from teams to make sure he fell to the Miami Heat with the 31st pick. The Thunder, who usually takes the best player available, decided to go with him although he never worked out with the team.

Jackson played three seasons at Boston College, averaged 18.2 points and 4.5 assists per game during his final season. He stands 6’3”, 210 lbs. with a long wingspan. He can drive to the basket and finish off of the pick-and-roll, but prefers to play off of the ball and hit big jump shots.

The selection spurred talk of Eric Maynor not being a long-term answer with only two years left on his contract. However, Sam Presti made comments suggesting that the organization would prefer keeping Maynor as a long term option. With Nate Robinson also looking for playing time, Jackson will have to prove quickly that he was worth the first round pick.

The Thunder received different draft grades from different experts, but finished with an average grade of a B. There is only so much you can do with one pick, especially at the end of the first round, and in 2011 if you’re not drafting first or second, there isn’t much excitement.

The team can now enter the off-season, while nobody knows if there will be a regular season. The lock-out looms and it seems that the owners aren’t going to budge. This could hurt the momentum of the young Oklahoma City squad, but could help in the long run.

If there is no season, the older, more veteran teams will get a year older with their windows closing. Either way, the fans lose if the players don’t play, which definitely hurts the downtown Oklahoma City area.

Nobody knows if the season will begin in October or January. The chance remains that the season will be shut down for good.

However, one thing remains in Oklahoma City, the fountain of youth gets deeper each season.