The Deep Deep Deep NBA 2007 Draft Class
by edwzipper on Tuesday, January 16th, 2007 at 06:10am
In case you are wondering why the teams in Memphis, Philadelphia, and a few other places are losing with such fervor this year, look to the upcoming ridiculously deep draft. There are franchise changers all over the place, not just at #1 with Greg Oden. Consider for a moment Texas’ Kevin Durant, where his scouting profile at NBADraft.net reads:
“Strengths: His upside is out of this world … This kid is not even begining to scratch the surface of his potential … Looking at him you see his frame is going to fill out in 3-4 years … Very fluid athlete with explosiveness … He plays hard and is still learning the game … Provided he works hard, Durant is going to be a special player in the league who will be able to do many different things on the court … Not aggressive enough to be like KG, but skilled enough down the road to contribute like a AK47 or a Grant Hill… Developing inside outside game … Can shoot the 3 and flush in transition … It is scary to think of what he could be like if he puts on 15 lbs of muscle and developed a handle, a 2010 version of KG.”
Let’s see…he’s 6′10″ and projects to comfortably play the 3 in the NBA. Oh, and his games in Texas this year? He’s averaging 23.7 ppg with 11 boards a game. He’s shooting 50% from the floor, 85% from the line, and a nice 38% from beyond the arc. Toss in nearly two steals, two assists and two blocks a game with just three turnovers a game, and he is having one of the best freshman campaigns I can recall in college in a long time.
His breakdown of his individual performances is eye-popping. A sampling:
28 points and 13 boards against Oklahoma
34 points and 13 boards against Missouri
37 points and 16 boards against Colorado
26 points and 8 boards against Tennessee
28 points and 13 boards against Arkansas
21 points and 9 boards against Michigan State
29 points and 10 boards against Gonzaga
10 points and 11 boards against LSU
It appears that his freshman has not just been crazy good, but crazy good against rock solid competition. Factor in that his last three games have been those monster efforts against Oklahoma, Missouri, and Colorado, and it appears that he is getting better as the year goes on.
If you have not caught a Texas game yet, flip on ESPN 2 tonite and see Texas and Durant head to #14 Oklahoma State. Oh, and it’s a ways off, but Kansas and Texas have just one regular season game scheduled this year, set for March 3 in Kansas on CBS. That one is must see as well.