Kevin Durant with Texas, Anthony Davis with Kentucky and more - Analyst lists top 5 freshman seasons since 2006
There have been many basketball players who have had one-and-done college seasons. Cooper Flagg is the most recent player to join that group that includes Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis. He played one season at Duke before declaring for the draft. He was selected first by the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
On Wednesday before the draft, ESPN analyst Mike Greenberg listed his top five freshman seasons from one-and-done players since 2006. Before he constructed his list, he clarified the factors he was taking into account.
"To be clear, Carmelo Anthony is not on this list, nor are any freshman seasons prior to 2006, when they put the rules in place. I also didn't take into account what they did as pros. This is just what they did their freshman season in college."
He then listed his top five freshman seasons since 2006.
Kevin Durant (Texas)
A former five-star recruit, Kevin Durant took Texas by storm, averaging 25.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. Sweeping all individual awards in the 2006-07 college basketball season, Durant became the first freshman to win a nationally recognized Player of the Year award.
Anthony Davis (Kentucky)
Another dominant figure when it came to Kentucky men's basketball, Davis joined the Wildcats while already being touted as the number one overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. Davis put up 14.2 PPG, 10.4 RPG, and averaged 4.7 blocks per game, leading John Calipari's squad to an undefeated SEC run which concluded with a conference championship, and ultimately the national championship.
Zion Williamson (Duke)
One of the greatest rookie seasons of all time, Zion Williamson won it all during his time under Coach K.
The ACC Player of the Year winner broke Duke's single-game high-scoring record previously held by JJ Redick and Marvin Bagley III, won numerous Player of the Week awards, as well as First-team All-ACC honors. While Duke failed to win a national championship, Zion Williamson etched his name as the best Blue Devils freshman of all time.
Besides the above-mentioned three, Greenberg mentioned Kevin Love and Michael Beasley as the top five one and done players since 2006.
Kevin Durant has been the most successful one-and-done player since 2006
When looking at Mike Greenerg's list of the five best one-and-done players since 2006, it is hard to argue that anyone has had a better career than Kevin Durant. Since joining the NBA in 2007, Durant has been a 15-time NBA All-Star, earning All-NBA First Team Honors six times.
He also won the NBA championship twice with the Golden State Warriors, in 2017 and 2018. He was named the NBA Finals MVP both of those years. He has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns.
On June 22, it was reported that he had been traded to the Houston Rockets. However, the trade cannot be formally completed until July 6.
Cooper Flagg will likely be happy if he can have a career anywhere similar to Kevin Durant's. Durant is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time.
Flagg is just starting his career and it remains to be seen how successful he will be in the NBA. However, based on the track record of previous one-and-done players, he should fancy his chances.