Greg Oden's self-deprecating criticism of himself didn't sit too well with Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant. In fact, Kevin Durant had nothing but praise and defense of his former draft mate. It all came down to different circumstances for both players who each took different paths in their careers.
Kevin Durant and Greg Oden would not have been in any way related to each other career-wise if not for the 2007 NBA Draft. Oden was actually the number one draft pick, being selected top overall by the Portland Trailblazers. Kevin Durant came number two. However, as everyone knows by now, Kevin Durant has had a stellar career in the NBA while Greg Oden's became a series of injuries that made him miss a lot of playing time. On just his rookie year, Oden had to undergo a microfracture surgery on his right knee which made him miss the rest of his entire rookie year. He underwent another surgery on his left kneecap two years later while playing for the Trailblazers. Overall, he just played 82 games and averaged 11.1 points and 8.5 rebounds, USA Today reported.
When asked about Oden's description of himself as "the biggest bust in NBA history", Kevin Durant said, "Nonsense. That's nonsense. In order for you to be a bust, you have to actually play and show people that you progressed as a player", Durant told ESPN. "He didn't get a chance to."
Kevin Durant and Greg Oden would forever be linked intrinsically to each other. They were among the sparse breed of freshmen in the draft that was a rare back-to-back and "one-and-two-picks" scenario. Greg Oden had the potential to become an NBA-dominant basketball player. It was just unfortunate that he was hit with a double whammy of career-crippling injuries. Being the top draft pick, he should have been what Kevin Durant is now.
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