Last nights matchup between the Thunder and Portland (Durant/Oden) made me wonder how the other top 10 players drafted in 2007 are doing. Of course Thunder fans know very well how the #2 and #5 pick are doing since they are both on the Thunder roster, Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. But what about the others? What about Greg Oden, Al Horford, Mike Conley Jr, Yi, Brewer, Wright, Noah, and Hawes? Inside this post you'll find the stat lines for each player this season. I don't think we even need to look at the stats to know that we lucked out with the gem of the class , Kevin Durant, but how is Jeff Green standing up to those other guys?
At quick glance (Below), quite well. One thing definitely stands out in this group, the Thunder (then Sonics) got the two most prolific scoring guys in the top 10. Durant this season is averaging 25 points per game, and Green clocks in at #2 with nearly 17 points per game. Now, while scoring isn't the only thing to consider, its definitely interesting that the Thunder picked up the two best scoring guys in that top 10 with Durant and Green. Now, of course, long term, its still up in the air how this entire class will do for their careers, and surely there were some guys drafted oustide the top ten who have made an impact. One thing looks clear to me, however, Sam Presti is making good decisions.
Outside of Green and Durant, only one player in this top ten group is averaging more than 30 minutes per game, the Hawks Al Horford. Outside of the Thunders two picks, Horford is arguably the most impressive of the remaining group, averaging 10 points and 8 boards per game.
Of course being an avid Thunder fan, I've watched almost every single Thunder game this season, so its easy for me to see the impact that Durant and Green have made on the team. Its not so easy for me to see what kind of impact these other guys have made outside of their statistics since its hard to know unless you're watching all their games. But judging from the stats, I think Sam Presti selected the cream of the crop and looking back, couldn't be happier with these two picks.
What do you guys think of the job Presti did with his two top five picks in the 2007 draft?