Coming into the 2006-2007 NBA season, it seemed obvious to all sports minds that Greg Oden was going to be the number one overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. But then things changed. And Kevin Durant was one of those changing minds. So with another great youth player stepping up to the challenge of meeting Greg Oden in stride, the 2007 NBA picture becomes a little cloudy. So who should be the number one overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft: Kevin Durant or Greg Oden?
Let’s remember that the present question is who “must” be the higher number one pick, and not who “want” to be the number one pick. No one knows for sure what team will choose Oden or Durant, but we can find a definitive answer for who “should” be taken first, we simply answer the question of which player will add the most to the NBA in short term and long term.
So we start with the short term, which leads us to Kevin Durant’s answer. For a team that needs to win now, Kevin Durant is the right guy for the job. Durant impressed the college basketball world with his amazing looks and ability to score from every spot on the court. Two-thirds of the way through his last season with Texas, Kevin Durant is averaging 25.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. He looked at every detail of the proto-type number of a certain NBA draft pick and even drew comparisons to Kevin Garnett. Durant would help an NBA team looking to win immediately better than Greg Oden could because he would be more willing to accept a team lacking superstar talent around him, just like he did in Texas.
But on the other hand, Greg, Oden can be a proper reading for the long term. Teams looking to build his number around his strength will do well to select Oden because he is a giant who plays great defense and learning to smooth strokes around the alley. Great men like Greg Oden come along every decade or two, and passing on Greg Oden can be done by Michael Jordan, like a curse. Through 17 games, Greg Oden averaged 15.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game. Such a freshman big number man has not been seen since the days of Alonzo Mourning or Patrick Ewing. Oden has drawn many comparisons to Ewing and will most certainly make the NBA’s number one selection.
So if you were an NBA general manager or owner, who should you choose as your number one overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft? The answer isn’t simple, but Kevin Durant would be the best player to get the first overall pick this year if he leaves his remaining eligibility in the playoffs. Kevin Durant is simply too polished and too big a transplant. Greg Oden is a great player, but the NBA passes for 7-foot-plus big men. The Giants are no longer a necessity to win a championship in the NBA, so picking up Oden is not as essential as it once was. Scoring has become a premium talent in the NBA and Kevin Durant can make a lot of it if he has some help from his teammates around him. So when the 2007 NBA Draft rolls around Kevin Durant should be the number one overall pick.
