NBA Draft: Settling the Greg Oden-Kevin Durant Debate

Greg Oden or Kevin Durant?—it's the question of the moment for the Portland Trailblazers.

Who would I choose first?

Well, let's examine each player.

Durant will be a prolific scorer the minute he steps onto an NBA court, thanks mostly to his speed and his height. His shooting range and his aggressiveness are both tremendous assets—as is his leaping ability, which should help him excel on the boards.

That said, Durant does come with a few question marks. His inability to bench his weight will be cured with an NBA training program, but his lack of strength doesn't bode well for his prospects of finishing in traffic or holding his own against bruising power forwards.

Great rebounding always translates well to the next level, so Durant should be a fine 7+ rebounder as a small forward or a 10+ rebounder as a power forward.

But that raises another question: What position does he play?

Durant's narrow shoulders will keep him from putting on too much bulk, and he's sure to be posted up by all but the softest power forwards in the league. As a small forward, he'd be less effective on the glass—assuming his team has him crashing the boards instead of leaking on the fast break.

Other questions concern his development. Is his scoring ability limited to iso's, pull-ups, and putbacks? Did Rick Barnes run anything complex at Texas? Does Durant have any clue as to how to play defense? Can he pass?

From what little I've seen of him, Durant still needs to learn how to play in a complicated system. He also needs to learn how to play defense (he was awful as a Longhorn), and could stand to benefit from a competent post game.

Even with all those questions, though, Durant is a lock for 20 points and seven boards—and 25 and 10 isn't out of the question. It'll be up to him to decide if he wants to be Dirk Nowitzki—a great scorer and rebounder who's timid around the basket and doesn't make his teammates better—or if he wants to be a legitimate superstar.

As for Oden—his offensive game is still quite limited. Besides putbacks and dunks, his best offensive move is a right-handed hook from the left box. The rest is still a work in progress.

In fairness, Oden has shown great touch with both hands—and teams will be forced to double him when he develops his footwork and gets quicker off the spin.

Oden's rebounding technique is excellent, as is his post defense. Most impressive of all is his perfect timing on block attempts; his ability to leap at the last possible moment will help him avoid foul trouble, and allow him to defend his own man more effectively before rotating for the swat.  

The few players in the NBA with that trait include Tim Duncan and Emeka Okafor.

Oden also sets earthshaking screens and is an excellent finisher—and, to his credit, has shown himself to be highly coachable.

Apart from his offensive arsenal, the questions around Oden center on his inability to avoid ticky-tack fouls. At Ohio State, Oden had a nasty habit of moving his feet or extending his elbows on screens. He also has a tendency to react late to penetration.

The bottom line: Oden might need time to develop, while Durant will put up points right from the get-go. The beauty of Oden, though, is the way he fits into Portland's future: With Zach Randolph in the post and Brandon Roy on the perimeter, the Blazers can afford to wait while Oden hones his offensive game.

If the Blazers choose to deal Randolph, then Oden, Roy, and LeMarcus Aldridge will form one of the elite defensive front lines in the NBA—making the Blazers a team nobody will want to face in the playoffs.

Durant will no doubt be a force in the league, but Oden is the kind of center that anchors championship teams. The Blazers should draft him and reap the rewards in the not-too-distant future.