by Teddy Jemming

Created on: April 28, 2009

I believe that Kevin Durant definitely should have been the number one draft pick because he is more of an all-around player than Greg Oden. He has all the necessary skills to be a point guard, small forward, and a shooting guard. Greg Oden is more of an in-the-key and rebounding man. Oden probably got picked number one because he was on a more popular team or because the Blazers needed a center. Kevin Durant makes the shape of a perfect addition to any NBA team.

Usually, teams pick players based on height. I am sure that an NBA team with a shorter group of players overall would need a good center like Oden. An NBA team who needs a center usually takes the big man. The team that needs a forward or guard takes the smaller man. If, for example, there were a team with Steve Nash, Yao Ming, Deron Williams, and Lebron James, then Kevin Durant would put the final edge on their team. Take LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal for example.
If a team could choose between those two players, then the team who needed a center would take Shaquille and the team who needed an all-around/forward would take LeBron.

Now, lets compare Greg Oden to Durant.
Greg Oden has the making of a perfect center. He has an excellent inside shot, amazing at rebounding, and blocking the point guards that think they can drive around him. However, Greg Oden, on his NBA team, only averages about 9 points per game. Kevin Durant, on his team, averages about 25 points per game. As you can easily tell now, Kevin Durant obviously scores way more than Oden.

Now let's look at rebounds. Oden averages 7 rebounds per game, as Durant averages about 6. This may look like Kevin Durant is better overall than Oden. To me, this looks like Oden just isn't getting much playing time. I think that Durant's team trusts him more with the ball.
Maybe this is a hint about the quality of these players' abilities. This hint tells us that Oden probably has less control and agility, as Durant is alert and ready for action. This agility gives Durant a better chance at getting more time on the floor. Given this information, I believe that Kevin Durant is the right choice for any NBA team.

If I was and NBA coach with a terrible team, then I would be looking for a player who can run the floor, make a decent jumper, and handle the ball. Kevin Durant has all of these abilities and he does a better job using them than Oden, so I'm certain that Kevin Durant is your man.

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