Who was drafted as the #1 pick ahead of Kevin Durant in the 2007 NBA Draft and where is he now?
After the Portland Trail Blazers won the first overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft on lottery night, the two prospects under debate were Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. The debate was considered a "win-win" throughout the basketball world. Greg Oden was one of the most impressive big man prospects in college basketball the year before. Oden offered the upside of being a game-changing presence on both sides of the floor for a franchise. On the other side of the table was Kevin Durant, a lengthy forward from the University of Texas who offered intriguing offensive upside with his shooting ability.
It's usually something that we as basketball fans go back and forth on throughout the pre-draft process. We spend countless hours watching old game films to figure out what the team with the first overall selection should do on the night of the draft. The Portland Trail Blazers would go on to invest their future in the big man, selecting Greg Oden as the first overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft. At the time, it was widely considered that both Oden and Durant were "slam dunk" selections. Oden was considered a dominant big man who had just gone on to average 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game at Ohio State while playing alongside Mike Conley Jr. Selecting second, the then Seattle Supersonics would go on to "settle" for Kevin Durant with their selection.
It made complete sense when you look at it from a basketball perspective. The Trail Blazers had a roster full of talent that looked to be missing a final piece to the puzzle. They had a promising young power forward in LaMarcus Aldridge, a potential star in Brandon Roy, and a number of intriguing young pieces such as Channing Frye, Jarrett Jack, James Jones, and Steve Blake. Given how the game was played then, teams still viewed it as a potential advantage to have two imposing big men in the starting lineup. So the idea of pairing someone like Greg Oden with LaMarcus Alridge is something anyone would have been excited about.
It's easy to look back and consider that Oden was a "bust" when you compare his career to Kevin Durant's. The truth is that there's little doubt that Oden would have had himself a heck of a career as well if not for a long list of nagging injuries. Oden would go on to play a total of 92 games in the NBA in three years. He sat out a total of four seasons while dealing with knee problems. It's always going to be one of the more underrated "what-if" stories when it comes to top draft selections. Unfortunately for Trail Blazers fans, Durant will end up going down as one of the greatest scoring forwards the game of basketball has seen. A realization that will lead to many Blazers fans wondering what could have been if Durant was selected first overall instead.
So Where is Greg Oden Now?
After trying to adjust to life after his NBA career, Greg Oden found his way back into the sport he loved so much. Oden spent some time learning the ropes in the coaching world as he returned to Ohio State to pursue his degree while helping the basketball team as a "student coach." Oden has taken the next leap forward, as he will join the Ohio State staff as a graduate student with the hopes of one day becoming a full-time coach. It sounds as if the former elite basketball prospect is now excited for his next journey in the basketball world.
“I’ve been around, I’ve had experience as a player but I haven’t had actual coaching experience that I feel like I would need to be the best coach that I could possibly be. That’s why I’m so thankful for this opportunity.”
For a story that was one of the more disappointing ones when it comes to NBA Draft history, it looks as if Oden is starting to re-write his basketball path. It's not often we see a player regroup after an unsuccessful career to shift his focus in another direction. For a former athlete who was one of the top players at his position, there's no denying that Oden will have plenty of knowledge and experience to share with young talent. This could be the beginning of a new phenomenal story for the former number one overall draft pick.