“You changed the way they drafted” – Gilbert Arenas explains how Kevin Durant reshaped what NBA teams looked for in prospects

Despite a brilliant one-and-done career at Texas where he averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds, NBA teams still weren’t convinced of Kevin Durant‘s abilities, so they still made him go through the NBA Draft Combine. This event puts draft prospects through their paces in various drills involving strength, speed and agility.

It was an event KD didn’t do well in, particularly the bench press, where he notoriously failed to lift a single rep with the 185-pound bar. The 6’11” forward also had poor showings in the vertical leap, agility drill and three-quarter-court sprint.

Despite his dismal showing, the Seattle SuperSonics didn’t hesitate to pick him second overall in the 2007 draft, and the rest was history. He averaged 20.3 points per game in his rookie season and hasn’t averaged less than 25 since then, becoming one of the most prolific scorers in league history.

According to former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas, Durant’s performance at the 2007 NBA Combine changed how scouts evaluated draft prospects.

At that point, NBA teams still valued strength and power, as the league was dominated by players. Shaquille O’Neal was still an unstoppable force, as were Dwight Howard and LeBron James. Meanwhile, Durant was believed to be too weak to dominate.

However, what Durant lacked in physical gifts, he more than made up for with his natural skills on the court; the man just knew how to move on the floor and most importantly, had a way of getting the ball in the basket.

“You know what’s so funny is, you changed the way they drafted,” Arenas said. “Everything was built on strength before you came in. Motherf–kers had to be strong and strong this and strong that. And you came in and you couldn’t lift.”

“So that was like the little joke between, like, ‘Oh yeah, that MF weak,’ blah, blah. And then 20, 25, 30, everybody’s like, ‘Oh, s–t, ain’t be strong no more.’ And then that’s when it actually shifted and they stopped really paying attention,” he continued.

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Durant is now preparing to play in his 19th NBA season and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. He has long proven himself to be an all-time great with two NBA titles, an MVP trophy, two NBA Finals MVP trophies, and 16 All-Star selections. Durant has indeed shown that there’s more to being a fine basketball player than lifting weights.

In fact, Durant has blasted the NBA Combine, saying it’s a complete waste of time.

“Stay your ass home, work out and get better on your own time,” Durant stated.

Despite his inability to lift heavy weights or run as fast as the wind, Durant knew he had what it took to be someone in the NBA.

“I knew nobody in that draft could guard me one-on-one. I knew that for sure. I knew that. And I knew that you don’t need to [bench-press] to lift a basketball up. And I knew that this wasn’t football, where that stuff matters,” KD remarked. “I knew as a basketball player I had a lot of skill, more skill than anybody in the draft. And I knew that if I worked as hard as I could, then that s–t wouldn’t matter at the end of the day.”

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