Durant, who we featured in an article on Tuesday, did not disappoint, sharing MVP honors along with. Texas freshman Kevin Durant further solidified his case for top pick in the 2007 NBA Draft over the last three days, averaging 30.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while leading his team to the final of the Big 12 tourney, where they suffered a narrow overtime loss to #2 Kansas. Other than that, he was invisible on offense, and a liability on defense. [12] Florida joined nine other schools, including Connecticut, that had five players selected in an NBA draft, second only to UNLV, which had six players selected in the eighth-round 1977 draft. Freshman Greg Oden from Ohio State University was drafted first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers, who won the draft lottery. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors all did not have a draft pick this year, although Indiana and Toronto each acquired a drafted player's rights after the draft. He was out-muscled by the bigger players he had to guard, and couldn’t move his feet to stay in front of the smaller guys. He also went glass on one of his pull-up attempts from mid-range. Durant started hitting shots, especially from the mid-range. [47] This was the fourth time that the Blazers had the first overall draft pick and the first time that the Blazers won the draft lottery since it was introduced in 1985. He protects the ball extremely well, understands how and when to utilize his beloved spin move on drives, and does it all effortlessly and fluidly, leading to some great shot attempts when you consider his elevation and high release point on shots. 2006 High School Class Boasts Several One and Done Candidates, High School Allstar Games Recap: Player Interviews, At the Jordan Classic: Main Event and Regional Game Recaps, 2006 McDonald's All-American Game, individual player breakdown. Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Durant’s ability to take the ball to the basket is equally impressive, and there aren’t many players his age and his size that can handle the ball so well with either hand. He played one season of college basketball for the University of Texas, and was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA draft. The elevation and arc on his shot are nearly perfect, while his release is very quick, which makes it very hard for a defender to block his shot in any way. color:#fff; 2020 NBA Draft 2020 NBA Draft. [6] Al Horford, the son of former NBA player Tito Horford, was drafted third by the Atlanta Hawks. [42], A player who is not automatically eligible must declare his eligibility for the draft by notifying the NBA offices in writing no later than 60 days before the draft. The remaining first-round picks and the second-round picks were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win-loss record in the previous season. Measured 6’9 in shoes with a 6’11.75 wingspan and 213-pound frame at the 2018 NBA Draft Combine. He threw an alley-oop to teammate. 3 pick Horford eager to help Hawks", "Sonics' Allen traded to Celts for Wally, West & Green", "Randolph heading to Knicks, Francis shipped to Blazers in draft-day trade", "Florida trio tapped in top 10; Celts land Ray Allen", "First round awaits Gators after second collegiate title", "Freshmen could produce record number in the '08 draft", "Final Early Entry Candidates for 2007 NBA Draft", http://www.nba.com/historical/search/index.jsp?kw=Milovan%20Rakovic#results, "Two Americans will play for Georgia Basketball national team", "2005 NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement: Article X, Section 1(b)(i)", "2005 NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement: Article X, Section 1(c)", "2005 NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement: Article X, Section 1(b)(ii)", "2005 NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement: Article X, Section 1(b)(ii)(G)(1)", "2005 NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement: Article X, Section 1(b)(ii)(F)", "2005 NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement: Article X, Section 1(b)(ii)(G)(3)", "2005 NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement: Article X, Section 8(c)", "Ties Broken for NBA Draft 2007 Order of Selection", "Trail Blazers Win NBA Draft Lottery, Followed by Sonics, Hawks", "Blazers get No. He has great confidence in his shot, which is apparent the first time you see him shoot the ball, though he has a tendency to throw up some shots early in the shot-clock when it really isn’t necessary. [3] Another freshman, Kevin Durant, was drafted second overall from the University of Texas by the Seattle SuperSonics,[4] and went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award for the 2007–08 season. In the first half, he couldn’t get anything going on the offensive end, with the exception of a nice three pointer he made early in the game. He threw an alley-oop to teammate. The lottery would determine the three teams that would obtain the first three picks on the draft. He also went glass on one of his pull-up attempts from mid-range. Any player who is not an "international player", as defined in the, This page was last edited on 30 September 2020, at 15:59. opacity:1; Other than that, he was invisible on offense, and a liability on defense. I think I’ll bring that to Texas, plus my inside-outside game.”. padding:15px; color:#fff; NBA draft prospect profile for Kevin Durant. Could the Nets form a Big 3 of KD, Kyrie and Beal? … Defensively, he’s very lax. While practically the entire country would have liked to see freshman sensation. No guarantees are made for any specific outcome. } If a player has not competed at the international level, then the nationality indicates the national team which the player is eligible to represent according to, CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (, Last edited on 30 September 2020, at 15:59, 2007 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Basketball champion, 2007 NCAA Basketball National Championship Final, player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game, "2007 NBA Draft Draws Increased Global Interest", "Trail Blazers take ex-Ohio State star Oden with top choice", "Oden's recovery from surgery likely in range of 6–12 months", "Kevin Durant Named T-Mobile Rookie of the Year", "Notes: No. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. [48] The Seattle Supersonics, who had the fifth-worst record, and the Atlanta Hawks, who had the fourth-worst record, obtained the second and third pick, respectively. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please call 1-800-GAMBLER. DRAFT. text-decoration:none; This will be a problem for Durant, who would really help himself by adding some bulk to his frame over the summer. Freshman Greg Oden from Ohio State University was drafted first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers, who won the draft lottery. These were the lowest possible picks they could have obtained through the lottery. Kevin Durant had a shaky day shooting the ball, but was able to contribute elsewhere and still make himself look good. I think I’ll bring that to Texas, plus my inside-outside game.”. I like to play with a lot of passion. Create your own mock draft or Big Board and see how it compares to the experts' rankings. [16], The first 14 picks in the draft belonged to teams that had missed the playoffs; the order was determined through a lottery. Find the latest coverage, analysis, and player rankings for the 2021 NFL Draft. Durant, who we featured in an article on Tuesday, did not disappoint, sharing MVP honors along with. While practically the entire country would have liked to see freshman sensation. I leave it all between the lines. Strengths: A dynamic wing player with freakish length and agility and a scorers mentality … Has the ability to essentially score at will on the college level … A special player offensively, who has fully developed post skills to go along with an NBA-range jumper … His ability to pull up off the dribble is absolutely illegal for a 6-10 player … Simply dominates even elite NCAA competition and top defenders, as his combination of height, length, athleticism, and skill is completely unrivaled on this level … Despite a laid-back nature, he has developed leadership and demands the ball in crunch time … He’s skilled and instinctual enough to have an offense run through him … Already a great rebounder who understands the importance of boxing out and can simply leap over players who try to push him out of the lane … Has the potential to become a great defender with his 7-5 wing span and great leaping ability … The best NCAA freshman to play in some time … Born in September, he’s a year young for his grade, further adding to his intrigue! opacity:.9; display:inline-block; KD explores how Heat defense forced LeBron's pass to Green on Detail. D raft E xpress. Latest on Brooklyn Nets small forward Kevin Durant including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN. He protects the ball extremely well, understands how and when to utilize his beloved spin move on drives, and does it all effortlessly and fluidly, leading to some great shot attempts when you consider his elevation and high release point on shots. Durant scored his points in a variety of ways; shooting threes, driving to the basket, or attacking the offensive boards. On one play when he had the ball behind the three-point arc, he adeptly hit a cutter going to the basket for an assist. A dedicated section of Yi's Wikipedia article discusses this issue and includes sources.^ b: Joakim Noah, who was born in the United States to a French father and a Swedish mother, has dual U.S. and French citizenship. #2) Kevin Durant, 6'10, Forward, 27.8 years old, United States, The Top Ten Performers at the 2016 Olympic Games, NCAA Tournament: Stock Watch (round of 32, Sunday)--Stock Down/Neutral, NCAA Tournament: Stock Watch (round of 64, Friday games)--Down/Neutral, NBA Draft Stock Watch: Conference Tournament Week (Part One), NCAA Weekly Performers-- 2/28/2007, Part One, Durant Eclipses Oden on DraftExpress Mock Draft, NCAA Weekly Performers -- 1/9/2007, Part One, NCAA Weekly Performers (12/4/2006)--Part One, What If? [8] The Portland Trail Blazers and the New York Knicks were also involved in a multi-player trade that sent Zach Randolph to the Knicks and Steve Francis to the Blazers. As you can see, I scream a lot on the court. Homepage Mock Drafts. Much has already been written about this game, but I do have a few thoughts to add: Offensively, it’s easy to marvel at many of the things Durant does, as it’s rare to see a player of his size with some of his abilities. Durant missed five out of his six three-point attempts, one of which was from NBA range, despite consistently displaying his smooth shooting stroke. [m], The following trades involving drafted players were made on the day of the draft.[54]. © 2019 Sports Phenoms, Inc., All Rights Reserved | There are no friends on the court, just me and my teammates. Menu. Oden, however, was beset by numerous microfracture surgeries on both knees that limited him to only 82 games from 2008 to 2010. Durant wasn’t just chucking shots up, though, and he also showed off some passing ability in the scrimmage.