“Stay your ass home, work out and get better on your own time,” he said, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Haynes, later adding a tidbit of advice: “Don’t go [to the combine].”
Durant was selected No. 2 overall in the 2007 NBA draft behind just Greg Oden. But like some, the workouts proved strenuous for a player who prided himself more on basketball skills than pumping iron.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Durant said. “All the strength coaches were laughing at me and s—. They were giggling with each other that I couldn’t lift 185 pounds, and I was like, ‘All right, keep laughing. Keep laughing.’ It was a funny thing, because I was the only one that couldn’t lift it and I was struggling to lift it. I was embarrassed at that point, but I’m like, ‘Give me a basketball, please. Give me a ball.’”
The rest was history. Durant has cooked every player in his path ever since, earning the 2008 Rookie of the Year award, followed by eight All-Star Game appearances, four scoring titles, and the 2014 NBA Most Valuable Player award. That’s a pretty good career panning our for a kid who got jeered for his inability to push 185 pounds.
The way Durant saw it, nobody could guard him one-on-one. Basketball isn’t like football, he thought. You don’t need to lift a trillion pounds to get your shot off. As he told it, he knew he had more skill than anyone in the draft and, on top of it all, would outwork everyone else.
“I knew that if I worked as hard as I could, then that s— wouldn’t matter at the end of the day,” Durant said. “It still doesn’t matter. I was ranked the last person in camp, drills-wise. I was the worst player, and the first player didn’t get drafted. That tells you a lot about the significance of that s—.”
Some of the draft’s top prospects are on the same page. The projected No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz is expected to show up, but only for interviews and maybe medical testing, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford. Projected top-five picks Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, and Jayson Tatum will also forego the combine, as will Kentucky guard Malik Monk.
In fact, of the 67 players expected to participate in the combine, only Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox and North Carolina’s Justin Jackson are projected top-10 picks
Durant conceded the combine serves a different purpose for players aiming to move up in draft order as opposed to those already projected as top picks. Those guys need to show everything they’ve got to get a scout’s attention and be put on a team’s radar.
“But if you’re like a top pick and you know you’re going to be a top pick, just work out,” he said. “Just work on your game, and then they’ll see you in the individual workouts, and they’ve been watching you all year, so your whole body of work is more important than just going there for a couple of days.”
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