NCAA Tournament: Stock Watch (round of 64, Thursday games)--Stock Up
NCAA Tournament: Stock Watch (round of 64, Thursday games)--Stock Down/Neutral
[c]Mustafa Shakur ends his NCAA career with another uneven performance[/c]A look at the prospects who saw their stock drop or remain neutral in the second day of games at the NCAA tournament.
Kevin Durant has an average performance by his standards, but still finishes with 27 points. Alando Tucker wakes up early enough to not see his team fall to #15 seed Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenton put in mediocre efforts against UNLV and are therefore already on their way home. That and much much more inside.
Stock Neutral
Kevin Durant, 6-10, Freshman, Forward, Texas
27 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 6/12 FG, 15/16 FT
Mike Schmidt
Though Durant didnt have the best game of his career, he was still able to score close to his average against a tough New Mexico State team, and provided enough of a lift to get the Longhorns into the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Early on, Durant struggled with a couple of his scoring attempts, which generally came further out on the perimeter. He only made 1 of his first 5 shots from the field, but was creating good shots within the flow of the offense. To adjust to the slow start, Durant started playing in the high post more often, starting many of the possessions by getting the ball with his back to the hoop from around 18 feet out. As a result, the offense started running through Durant, and he started making a lot of shots from 12 feet on in. This also opened up the perimeter more for him and his teammates. Durant finished the first half with 14 points, and he touched the ball on 16 of Texas 33 first half possessions.
In the second half, Durant started slowly, and didnt demand the ball nearly as much. He let teammate DJ Augustin make many of the plays, and New Mexico State was able to keep themselves in the game thanks to Durants lack of offensive production. With 6 minutes remaining in the game, he had only scored 3 points in the second half. He stepped up for the last 6 minutes of the game however, scoring 10 points, and knocking down many key free throws to keep the game out of reach for the opposing Aggies.
Durant displayed his wide array of scoring abilities in his first career NCAA Tournament game. From the post, his step through and spin moves allowed him to make shots from mid-range. He also showed off his ball-handling ability, and how he can use a crossover dribble to create space and score. Defensively, Durant used his length well, and disrupted a number of shots due to active hands.
Overall, this game probably doesnt move Kevin Durants draft stock in either direction. He proved that he wasnt out of place as a freshman leading his team into the NCAA Tournament, but he didnt do anything more than was required for Texas to win the game. It will be interesting to watch Durants reaction to increased pressure in the coming round(s) to teams who may be able to stay with him better defensively.
Early on, Durant struggled with a couple of his scoring attempts, which generally came further out on the perimeter. He only made 1 of his first 5 shots from the field, but was creating good shots within the flow of the offense. To adjust to the slow start, Durant started playing in the high post more often, starting many of the possessions by getting the ball with his back to the hoop from around 18 feet out. As a result, the offense started running through Durant, and he started making a lot of shots from 12 feet on in. This also opened up the perimeter more for him and his teammates. Durant finished the first half with 14 points, and he touched the ball on 16 of Texas 33 first half possessions.
In the second half, Durant started slowly, and didnt demand the ball nearly as much. He let teammate DJ Augustin make many of the plays, and New Mexico State was able to keep themselves in the game thanks to Durants lack of offensive production. With 6 minutes remaining in the game, he had only scored 3 points in the second half. He stepped up for the last 6 minutes of the game however, scoring 10 points, and knocking down many key free throws to keep the game out of reach for the opposing Aggies.
Durant displayed his wide array of scoring abilities in his first career NCAA Tournament game. From the post, his step through and spin moves allowed him to make shots from mid-range. He also showed off his ball-handling ability, and how he can use a crossover dribble to create space and score. Defensively, Durant used his length well, and disrupted a number of shots due to active hands.
Overall, this game probably doesnt move Kevin Durants draft stock in either direction. He proved that he wasnt out of place as a freshman leading his team into the NCAA Tournament, but he didnt do anything more than was required for Texas to win the game. It will be interesting to watch Durants reaction to increased pressure in the coming round(s) to teams who may be able to stay with him better defensively.