Kevin Durant
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Kevin Durant is widely regarded as the second-best player (next to Greg Oden) in the 2007 NBA Draft. He is a versatile player that has point guard skills even though he stands 6’9” and has a 7’5” wingspan. He also has a feathery shooting touch that extends out to NBA three-point range. Many scouts compare Durant to Kevin Garnett due to his wiry frame and versatility.
For his senior season of high school, Durant transferred from Oak Hill Academy to Montrose Christian in Maryland, where he was named the Washington Post’s 2006 Player of the Year. He was also named a McDonald’s All-American, and was voted the MVP of the 2006 McDonald’s All-American game.
Once the NBA instituted a minimum-age requirement, Durant elected to attend the University of Texas to play for head coach Rick Barnes. The two other schools thought to be in the running were North Carolina and Connecticut. Durant’s play at Texas was outstanding and he won several Player of the Year honors. Although Durant suggested that he might stay in school another year, he has declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft.
In the Association, he will most likely play small forward, but if he packs on enough bulk, he’ll be able to play power forward as well. Scouts said that one of his weaknesses coming out of high school was his wiry frame, but since he’s arrived at Texas, he has gained 21 pounds of muscle (thanks to UT strength coach Todd Wright). A few pundits are starting to speculate that when it’s all said and done, Durant will have a better career than Greg Oden.
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Profiles
NBADraft.net
The premier NBA Draft site breaks down Durant’s strengths and weaknesses.
Scout.com
A short scouting report along with links to Scout.com content about Durant.
HoopsTV
Hoops TV put together this six-minute profile of Durant while he was in high school.
YouTube
YouTube hosts “Kevin Durant Apocalypse,” a four-minute highlight reel.
Wikipedia
Regularly updated by users, this is an excellent source for information about Durant.
University of Texas Athletics
The UT athletic department put together a comprehensive profile of Kevin Durant.
Commentary
Kevin Durant has long been groomed to play in the NBA
This excellent Chip Brown article shows the impact of Durant’s family and briefly discusses why he chose to go to the University of Texas.
Why Kevin Durant came to Austin
This Statesman.com article covers Durant’s decision to enroll at UT in more depth.
Kevin Durant Interview
Draft Express interviewed Durant in March of 2006.
Quotes about Kevin Durant
“Quite simply, the Texas star is having a season better than [Carmelo] Anthony did as a freshman and on par with what [Danny] Manning willed as a senior; two of the finest runs in college basketball lore.” – Adam Stanco
“He's the most talented player we've ever had.” – Texas head coach Rick Barnes, putting Durant ahead of T.J. Ford and LaMarcus Aldridge.
“Boris Diaw. I love him. He’s one of my favorite players in the game. I try to be like him a lot, man. He’s so versatile, he can pass, he can do everything. I want to be like him.” – Kevin Durant, when asked which of the Phoenix Suns he models his game after. (Last summer, Rick Barnes had the UT players watching Suns’ game film in the hopes of using a similar, up-tempo attack.)