Kevin Durant (Texas)

KEVIN DURANT

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_usicZKAps

NBA Comparison: Dirk Nowitzki/Tracy McGrady

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!

Weaknesses: Hasn’t been fully tested in terms of competition. Does he have the fire inside to maximize his abilities and develop a killer instinct? He has a laid back demeanor; will he continue to work hard after he starts cashing 7 figure checks? … Defensively, he's very lax. Tends to be too upright, and should focus more on his defensive fundamentals, getting low in his defensive stance, especially on the perimeter ... Has all the potential to be a lock down defender, but doesn't put the effort in on that side of the ball ... Still needs to bulk up, although he has bulked up significantly since high school. May always be skinny and adding too much weight could slow his foot speed some ... Adding weight will make him more aggressive inside, as he tends to shy away from contact and can be pushed around and affected when played physical… Ball handling could still use refinement, as he is a little too high in his dribble ... Shows flashes of great passing but is inconsistent ... Should block more shots with his length and athleticism ... Can improve upon the nuances of the game, moving without the ball, understanding where to be in help defense situations, giving equal effort on both ends of the floor etc. …

This kid may wind up being the best overall player of this coming draft. The guy can do it all. His defense is still developing, but the guy can score from the post or from the outside.

However, he's probably going to be a small forward in the NBA, and the Bulls are more than stacked there. They also already have one smaller power forward (well, he usually plays there) in Tyrus Thomas, but still, if the Bulls get the #2 pick and Oden was picked first, then I'd say take him anyway and feel free to trade away or just let Nocioni go.