Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook: The NBA's Shining Young Stars

When Kobe Bryant was selected in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets (first round, 13th overall) three of today’s youngest NBA stars Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook were all seven years old.

Durant, the oldest, wouldn’t turn eight until Sept. 29th; Rose and Westbrook shortly after. When the Utah Jazz knocked the Los Angeles Lakers out of the 1997 NBA Playoffs in the second round, Kobe Bryant was 18, and his rookie season was highlighted by winning the Slam Dunk Contest and being named to the NBA’s All Rookie Second Team (meaning he was somewhere between No. 6 and 10 on the list of best rookies that year).

However, he, being the winner he is today, will remember the season for the way it ended.

The Jazz were up in the series 3-1 and facing elimination, Kobe air balled a three-pointer at the end of regulation that could have won the game. He would also air ball two three-pointers to tie the game in overtime.

Kobe Bryant would emerge as a star over the next several seasons. He was runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year after his sophomore campaign, became the youngest All-Star ever, signed a lucrative six-year/$70 million extension.

He earned comparisons to Michael Jordan by prominent writers of the time such as Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune and Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated who wrote “a lot is made of Bryant’s similarity to Jordan. He jumps like Jordan, he slashes and creates his own shots, much like Jordan, and when he needs the extra moment to aim his jump shot, he can hang there, bent forward slightly, as if his shoulder blades have become little wings.”

Despite the young star’s rise to stardom and success, the Lakers were swept out of both the 1998 and 1999 playoffs in just the second round. After these early setbacks and let downs, Laker management would make several key offseason moves revamping the bench and most notably bringing in former Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson.

Jackson would mold Kobe into an offensive genius and defensive savant while using the triangle offense to lead the Lakers to three consecutive championships. All three years Kobe would be the second leading scorer on the team (behind Shaquille O’Neal), and despite his outstanding success, he would sit back and see O’Neal win all three NBA Finals MVP awards.

Kobe Bryant was now 23 years old.

Kevin Durant just saw his fourth NBA season come to an end when his Oklahoma City Thunder blew yet another lead against the veteran Dallas Mavericks.

Durant, now 22, has won NBA Rookie of the Year (while being named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team), been an All-Star twice, been named to the All-NBA First Team twice, led the US to a gold medal at the FIBA World Championship’s (a roster that also had Rose and Westbrook) and most notably is a two-time NBA scoring champion.

Durant was runner-up in MVP voting for the 2009-2010 season (his third). This season, one could say Durant “took a step back” finishing fifth in MVP voting. Did I mention that Durant is 22?

Derrick Rose, much like Kevin Durant, saw his NBA season come to an abrupt end in a rather unforgiving manner. His team lost four straight games to the LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh led Miami “Heatles” (two of those four on his home floor).

Despite becoming the league’s youngest MVP ever this season, Derrick Rose saw his effectiveness and performance decrease with each round of the playoffs. His loss in effectiveness culminated in the Eastern Conference finals against the Heat when Rose made several pivotal mistakes in what seemed like each of the final four games of the series.

What all of that meant (in case you’re wondering) is that at 22 years of age, in just his third NBA season, Derrick rose led his Chicago Bulls to nine playoff victories (this season alone) and the Eastern Conference finals.

That’s eight more wins than Kobe and the Lakers had his first three years. In his three-year career, Rose has won the All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge, been named NBA Rookie of the Year (like Durant he made the All-Rookie First Team as well).

He is a two-time All-Star, a one-time All-NBA First Team player and has won an MVP award.

Russell Westbrook, the least successful of the three, has still had a moderate (if not substantial) amount of success at this point in his career. He, like Rose, has played three seasons.

During his three seasons he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, the All-NBA Second Team and made the All-Star team this season as well. Westbrook has not had the dramatic impact Durant and Rose have had but he has been a solid point guard, consistent contributor and established himself as a premier star in the league.

His youth, athleticism and speed lead many to believe he has a bright and long future ahead of him. In case you forgot, he’s also 22.

There’s always that list every year of America’s most “hated jobs” or “hardest jobs” or even “dirtiest jobs.” Somehow a “professional athlete” never seems to make any of these lists.

It definitely isn’t a dirty job, nor is it one that the employees hate; it’s also not truly a “hard” job. However, part of life in the 21st century involves increasing technological advancements, constant media scrutiny and for professional athletes more sports discussion than ever before (talking head shows, longer pre and post game shows, blogs, podcasts, daily radio shows and Twitter).

Nobody can relate to this more than the young, up and coming, NBA superstar. Long time sports journalist and current ESPN analyst Skip Bayless said recently on his show “ESPN First Take” that the worst thing to happen to Derrick Rose was winning MVP so young and so fast because this postseason, as we saw, he was held up to (and judged) on an MVP level.

Durant, Rose and Westbrook are 22 years old. They have played a combined 11 NBA seasons (four less than Kobe Bryant has played in his career alone). The NBA is not only at their fingertips; it is at their disposal.

For the most part, they are not just young and talented, but they say the right things, do the right things and act appropriately (try to pretend Westbrook didn’t immaturely walk off the floor in Dallas).

Had these three young stars entered the league in the 1960s (pre NBA-ABA merger), they would have fit right in, faced little to no criticism and had the ability to grow, develop and mold themselves with practically no pressure.

Had they been drafted in the 1970s (post NBA-ABA merger), they would have been able to fly somewhat under the radar (the merger gave the league a surplus of talent such as Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Willis Reed, Jerry West, Bill Walton, Moses Malone and a man named Julius Erving).

Had they signed with teams during the 1980s, they would have probably gone to teams similar to the ones their currently on (powerhouses such as the Pistons, Celtics, Blazers or Lakers) and been in similar circumstances yet faced at the most, half the criticism they currently face.

If they had their names called by David Stern in the 1990s, they may have been missed out on entirely because of the Chicago Bulls (Michael Jordan and Co.), the Phoenix Suns (Charles Barkley), the Houston Rockets (Hakeem Olajuwon) or the San Antonio Spurs (David Robinson and Co.).

They didn’t even have the fortune of being drafted early in the 2000s, so they missed out on all the fun (lots of scoring, lots of fighting and lots of come and go superstars i.e. Stephon Marbury).

Durant, Rose and Westbrook are the future of the NBA. They are the future of a league that has revitalized its image and revamped its talent while sucking in a larger fan base than it’s seen in decades.

TV ratings and attendance figures haven’t been this high since Michael Jordan wore a Bulls jersey. With this, as mentioned earlier, comes the media spotlight and criticism. All three players are being prematurely judged, criticized and ridiculed.

The same people that are ripping Durant and Westbrook for poor execution down the stretch or Rose for shooting to many three-pointers ripped Kobe Bryant in 1997 when he air balled three game-winning shots.

These are the same people who ripped Michael Jordan when he saw failure his first six NBA seasons (he won his first ring in year seven). These are probably the same people who ripped LeBron James for essentially anything he has done over his seven-year career (take your pick).

Where are Kobe, Michael and LeBron now? What more can you ask of young stars. They already sell jerseys, fill stadiums, boost TV ratings and win more hardware than most of the league’s all-time greats did in their first few campaigns.

The future of the NBA has never been brighter, and we would rather sit back and criticize the future rather than applaud it for what it not only has done but will continue to do.

I, unlike the majority of American sports fans, will not criticize or ridicule the three aforementioned young stars. Instead, I will give them my sincere thanks. They have graced my television screen (and all of yours as well) for four years now.

So consider this your thank you letter Durant, Rose and Westbrook. You three have given us hundreds of highlights, laughs and smiles over the last 11 (combined) seasons, and I cannot wait for October.