who will have a better NBA rookie season next year: Greg Oden or Kevin Durant?

Question

Portland has first pick in the draft, Seattle has the second pick. Based on this, most think Portland will select Oden. This would mean that Durant will play for Seattle. Who will have a bigger impact on wins next year and be named Rookie of the Year?

good answers so far and to comment on those that say Durant is too skinny for the NBA, he started the college season at 6'9" 225 and he's now up to 230 since I saw a story about him working with a conditioning coach. Richard Hamilton has been in the NBA 7 years and although not as athletic as Durant, his 6'9" 215 lb. body seems to hold up well to all of the pounding as does that of teammate Tayshaun Prince, a real stick figure at 6'7" and 190 that is known for his defensive prowess. I agree that champions are built on defense and I think Lewis on Seattle is a free agent so they would need to sign and trade to get anything in return. This in mind, I think the guy saying that Durant will be more of an offensive force on a team with nowhere to go but up will shine in the highlight reels and Seattle will see a big improvement. The guy that said it takes longer for a center to adapt to the NBA has a good point. Kwame Brown, Bynum, Tyson Chandler, etc. It took Jermaine O'neal 5 years.

Answer 1

Oden will have the better rookie year. Durant has sick offensive skills, but he's not anywhere near the physical condition he'll need to be in, to survive a full NBA season. He frequently got tired a lot in the 2nd half of his college games last year- many times he was almost invisible in the 2nd half of games, and the NCAA season is nowhere near as tough a grind as the NBA!

Yao Ming had similar conditioning problems early- of course he's a center. Durant is a skinny kid who won't be able to log extended minutes right away- let alone bang with Carlos Boozer, Kwame Brown, Elton Brand, Amare Stoudemire etc. (let alone the beasts in the east)

Now 2 years down the road, after he's bulked up a little and gotten used to the NBA grind of 81 games- Durant will be a perennial all-star. But it'll take him at least a year to build up a little strength, and a LOT more stamina than he currently has.

Answer 2

The Portland TrailBlazers are stupid if they do not pick Greg Oden, im sure they will. And Blazers should trade for Rashard Lewis for Zach Randolph I think it would work both ways, while Seattle needs some inside help, Randolph provides that, Kevin Durant can attack inside-out. While Ray Allan will be the perimeter player.

Portland which needs outside shooting, Rashard Lewis will provide that.

Looking at the teams lineup makes sense:
Portland TrailBalzers
Starters:
PG Jarrett Jack
SG Brandon Roy
SF Rashard Lewis
PF Lamarcus Aldridge
C Greg Oden

Seattle Supersonics
PG Luke Ridnour
SG Ray Allen
SF Kevin Durant
PF Zach Randolph
C Chris Wilcox

It would also makes sense to move Zach Randolph while his value is high, it would be hard for Aldridge and Randolph to share minutes, let Aldridge get his, and let Randolph help Seattle, it would be interesting to see who will win the Northwest Division. Utah Jazz? Portland Blazers? Seattle Sonics? Minnesota Twolves? Denver Nuggets?

All Seattle Supersonics needs is a good coach. Rick Adelmen, would of been perfect with the princeton offense. Perhaps a former Blazer Terry Porter, who led Bucks to the Playoffs.

Well goodluck for the Eastern teams, the West has just got stronger.

Answer 3

I'm not sure who will go first But I think Kevin Durant will be an offensive force his rookie season. While Greg Oden is a more defensive powerhouse. Greg Oden only Dominated in College because of his outstanding athleticism for a college player.But in the NBA every Center is allready big and strong and I'm not sure if Oden could take his Low Post game to the next level from the start of the season. Kevin Durant Will be up and down throughout the season and probably only average about 16 points tops because of Ray Allen and Rasheed Wallace.
Greg Oden: 11.4 pts 8.2 rbs 1.9 blks 0.7 stls 2.7 assts 2.5 TO per game
Kevin Durant:15.9 pts 6.8 rbs 1.1 blks 1.9 stls 4.2 assts 2.5 TO per game

At the end of the season their numbers are going to look something like this and Kevin Durant will have a better Rookie season.
owever I don't think Eigther one will win te Rooie of the Year, I got a fealing this Asian PF/C May come into the Nba and catch everyone off guard. I vant think of his name but right now it lookslike he's going to Boston And I think Paul Pierce, Al Jefferson and the celtics coaching staff will be great for him. The Celtics have always produced over acheivers and he will be no acception.

Oh yeah his name is Yi JianLian.(Rookie of the Year)

Answer 4

I have to agree with your assessment that Oden will go Number One to the Blazers and the Sonics will get Durant at #2. With that said, I believe Oden will have the superior rookie season as he would have pretty much an open reign on the center position. As for Durant, he would most likely have to play behind either Rashard Lewis (assuming he stays in Seattle) or Chris Wilcox.

Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Oden: He attacks the basketball at will, and Portland is in need of a big man in the post. He will a least grab boards for you all day and he is a force to reckon with on D. Scoring isn't necessarily his strength, but with so much height, it will be a problem for the other team. That's the least you'd get from him, which isn't dam bad at all. Defense DOES win championships: He's got a lot more potential than Durant for now (a lot more areas to improve on in his game), but he's not more skilled than Kevin right now. Durant will play the role of a spot-up/off-the-dribble shooter for one or two years, if that, before he develops into a playmaker and a scorer.

Answer 6

Durant will have the better rookie year...Why?

With Rashard Lewis expected to play somewhere else next season, Seattle will most likely draft Durant as his replacement and he will be depended on to play a lot of minutes and take lots of shots. Big men like Oden take a few years to fully develop and his offensive game will really depend on who's getting him the ball...Jarret Jack? Durant's offensive game, in my opinion, is NBA ready and he could be the perfect complement to Ray Allen and his deadly outside shooting...I picture Durant having the better rookie year but Oden having the better career.

Answer 7

i think durant will have a better rookie year than oden eventhough oden would be the no.1 pick...durant is an excellent scorer and as a rookie in the nba it would really boost his status plus he may be playing for seattle a team that would be suited for his brand of play...oden may bring portland into the playoffs but its still a process and rebuilding a team like portland will really take some time plus oden is known for his defense and rebounds...in the nba in my opinion a rookie will shine if he can display his offensive skills...anyway its just my opinion and observation...

Answer 8

Kevin Durant

Answer 9

Greg Oden will be able to play at the pro level better then Kevin Durant for at least the first year or two.

Answer 10

I think Durant will have a bigger impact this year but Oden will in the long run. Oden has to learn to keep out of fouls trouble befroe he can dominate.