Revisiting the 2007 NBA Draft Class – Grades & Analysis: Do Kevin Durant and Al Horford departures re-write history?

The 2007 NBA draft class is a legendary one. The infamous Durant vs Oden argument. Before we get into the dear diary of the 2007 NBA draft, lets list the order below:

2007 NBA Draft Order: Each Draft Pick, College, & NBA Team

1. Greg Oden (Ohio State) – Portland Trail Blazers
2. Kevin Durant (Texas) – Seattle SuperSonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder)
3. Al Horford (Florida) – Atlanta Hawks
4. Mike Conley Jr. (Ohio State) – Memphis Grizzlies
5. Jeff Green (Georgetown) – Boston Celtics (via trade with Seattle SuperSonics)
6. Yi Jianlian (China) – Milwaukee Bucks
7. Corey Brewer (Florida) – Minnesota Timberwolves
8. Brandan Wright (North Carolina) – Charlotte Bobcats (via trade with Golden State Warriors)
9. Joakim Noah (Florida) – Chicago Bulls
10. Spencer Hawes (Washington) – Sacramento Kings (via trade with Atlanta Hawks)
11. Acie Law IV (Texas A&M) – Atlanta Hawks (via trade with Indiana Pacers)
12. Julian Wright (Kansas) – New Orleans Hornets
13. Al Thornton (Florida State) – Los Angeles Clippers
14. Rodney Stuckey (Eastern Washington) – Detroit Pistons
15. Nick Young (USC) – Washington Wizards
16. Thaddeus Young (Georgia Tech) – Philadelphia 76ers
17. Marco Belinelli (Italy) – Golden State Warriors
18. Wilson Chandler (DePaul) – New York Knicks
19. Javaris Crittenton (Georgia Tech) – Los Angeles Lakers (via trade with Memphis Grizzlies)
20. Jason Smith (Colorado State) – Miami Heat (via trade with Denver Nuggets)
21. Daequan Cook (Ohio State) – Philadelphia 76ers (via trade with Orlando Magic)
22. Jared Dudley (Boston College) – Charlotte Bobcats
23. Carl Landry (Purdue) – Seattle SuperSonics (via trade with Houston Rockets)
24. Aaron Brooks (Oregon) – Houston Rockets (via trade with Denver Nuggets)
25. Morris Almond (Rice) – Utah Jazz
26. Glen Davis (LSU) – Seattle SuperSonics (via trade with Boston Celtics)
27. Petteri Koponen (Finland) – Philadelphia 76ers (via trade with Denver Nuggets)
28. Gabe Pruitt (USC) – Boston Celtics
29. Aaron Gray (Pittsburgh) – Chicago Bulls (via trade with Toronto Raptors)
30. Rudy Fernandez (Spain) – Portland Trail Blazers (via trade with Phoenix Suns)

Let’s Revisit what exactly happened at this infamous draft from ’07. Never since Bowie or Olajuwon had we seen this a car crash of a draft decision in such slow motion. Surely the lessons of Bowie over Olajuwon would be learned, right?  Oden had a chance to be a top 10 all time center *drooling GM’s* everywhere start blushing. And yet, Durant seemed to possess a chance to become a top 10 all time player. 

Conjuring memories of their much-maligned Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan draft decision in the 1980s, the Portland Trail Blazers’ like-minded selection of injury-plagued big man Greg Oden over superstar small forward Kevin Durant with the top pick in the 2007 NBA Draft will forever live in infamy.

Oden’s career spanned…parts of three NBA seasons. Durant won an MVP award and four scoring titles while leading the Oklahoma City Thunder (still the Seattle Supersonics when they drafted him) to four appearances in the Western Conference Finals and one in the NBA Finals.

But a lot can happen in nine years, and although the Thunder and the Atlanta Hawks got great production out of their top 3 draft picks in 2007, Durant and big man Al Horford, respectively, they just lost both stars for nothing in free agency during the 2016 offseason. In that sense, the “winner” of the 2007 draft isn’t so clear-cut. In fact, if you look at today’s Trail Blazers, they’re in fairly similar shape as the Thunder despite choosing Oden over Durant.

Nine years later, we grade the top 10 picks of the 2007 NBA Draft, identify some hidden gems, and reflect on some lessons we learned. The big question: Do this summer’s free agency departures of Durant, Horford, and Joakim Noah “re-write” the history of good draft picks for their former teams?

The top scorers of the 2007 NBA draft

Career NBA points, first-round picks. Pick number in brackets.

Show the data behind this chart

The top scorers of the 2007 NBA draft

Player	Pick	Career points	Career win shares
Kevin Durant	2	32,597	186.1
Mike Conley	4	16,715	107.6
Al Horford	3	15,077	119.4
Jeff Green	5	14,480	56.1
Thaddeus Young	12	14,225	71.9
Wilson Chandler	23	8,463	29
Marco Belinelli	18	8,370	30.5
Arron Afflalo	27	8,198	33.5
Nick Young	16	8,194	18.6
Rodney Stuckey	15	8,185	28.7

2007 NBA DRAFT GRADES: TOP 10 PICKS

1. Portland Trail Blazers: Greg Oden

Grade: D

Why not an F for the Blazers here, given that Oden couldn’t stay on the court and the guy they passed up, Durant, at one time was considered an undisputed top-2 player in the league before the rise of Stephen Curry? Well, while you can blame Portland for choosing the wrong player in the Oden vs. Durant pre-draft debate, it wasn’t an outlandish selection at the time. The Blazers made the pick in an era, unlike today’s NBA, when elite big men were still presumed to be a ticket to the championship. So their pick doesn’t get the lowest-possible grade.

2. Seattle Supersonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder): Kevin Durant

Grade: A

KD put Oklahoma City on the NBA map with career averages of 27.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Will his departure to the Golden State Warriors in free agency, in turn, crush OKC? The Thunder were able to extend fellow superstar Russell Westbrook’s contract this summer, thus maintaining some character from the Durant era and charting a new course for the franchise that might still lead to contender status down the road. As for the 2007 draft pick itself, although they’re now left with nothing, they got nine great years out of Durant.

3. Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford

Grade: A

Just like Durant, Horford left the only NBA team he ever knew this offseason after nine productive years, 14.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Those stats don’t really do Horford justice, as they don’t reveal his impact on defense, his development of an effective outside shot in recent years, and his broader contributions towards making the Hawks a perennial playoff team in the Eastern Conference. Despite Horford leaving for Boston, the Hawks, who replaced him at center with Dwight Howard, should remain a playoff team in the East. For that, they can thank the culture of success they built during the Horford era.

4. Memphis Grizzlies: Mike Conley, Jr.

Grade: A

Akin to Horford, Conley’s career stats with Memphis, 13.6 points and 5.6 assists per game, don’t tell the whole story of his contributions to the franchise, which has found stability at the point guard spot and has become a perennial playoff team just like the Hawks. Unlike the Hawks with Horford and the Thunder with Durant, Memphis will benefit from further continuity from their successful 2007 draft pick after re-signing Conley to a long-term contract this offseason. The Grizzlies also deserve credit for being patient with Conley during a few leaner years for team and player alike earlier in his career, allowing Memphis to maximize its asset in the long run.

5. Boston Celtics: Jeff Green (traded to Seattle for Ray Allen)

Grade for Boston: A+

Grade for Seattle (now Oklahoma City): B+

This one gets a bit complicated. The Celtics drafted Green and then traded him as part of a package to get Ray Allen, who teamed with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to win a championship in the star trio’s first season together. Just for that one championship, the trade was well worth it for Boston, especially because Green, while not a bust, has never developed into a star. You also can’t blame the Thunder (then Supersonics) for that trade, given that Allen didn’t fit into the team’s youth/rebuilding movement at the time. Green had a few productive seasons as part of the Thunder’s core before they traded him, ironically, to Boston, for center Kendrick Perkins, who had an up-and-down tenure with OKC but was part of their team that reached the 2012 NBA Finals. A Finals appearance isn’t a championship, so the Celtics won the 2007 trade. The question for the Thunder is, could they have gotten more for Ray Allen?

6. Milwaukee Bucks: Yi Jianlian

Grade: D

Perhaps looking for the next Yao Ming, Milwaukee gambled on Chinese big man Yi, who only played one season for the Bucks and five seasons in the NBA (with career averages of 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game). A safer big man choice for Milwaukee in this draft could’ve been Joakim Noah, who was coming off back-to-back national championships with the Florida Gators, or even Spencer Hawes. They did display some courage with the Yi pick, so for that, they avoid an F grade.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves: Corey Brewer

Grade: B-

The lanky Brewer, though not a star, did turn into a good role player and defender at the swingman positions. Unfortunately for Minnesota, his skills were ultimately more valuable to a contender than to a rebuilding franchise. But when you look at the players selected after him, you can’t really say the Wolves missed out on much by choosing Brewer.

8. Charlotte Bobcats: Brandan Wright (traded to Golden State for Jason Richardson)

Grade for Charlotte: C

Grade for Golden State: C

In another trade within the 2007 draft’s top 10, both teams weren’t vastly affected. The Bobcats wanted an established scorer and got one in Richardson, though he didn’t translate into more wins and was traded again in just his second year with Charlotte. The Warriors, coming off an epic upset of the top-seeded Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, couldn’t find enough minutes and touches for all their wing scorers, so they dealt one of them for what they hoped would be added dimensions of defense and athleticism in their frontcourt. But Wright, the high-upside North Carolina product, could never stay healthy. You can’t blame either team for their logic in making the trade, but the move just didn’t move the needle for anyone.

9. Chicago Bulls: Joakim Noah

Grade: A

Like Durant and Horford, Noah left the only team he had played for in free agency this summer. But also like Durant and Horford, he spent nine season as the heart and soul of a franchise. Chicago scored a couple of top seeds in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but not a Finals appearance, during the Noah era, largely thanks to the center’s defensive intensity and all-around game. Like former Bulls teammate and now Knicks teammate Derrick Rose, Noah was eventually derailed by injuries. But his time with Chicago will be remembered fondly, and he was a good value pick at No. 9.

10. Sacramento Kings: Spencer Hawes

Grade: C+

The offensive-minded big man spent three mildly productive seasons in Sacramento (peaking at 11.4 points and 7 rebounds a game in year two) before the Kings traded him to Philadelphia. He has never averaged more than 13.5 points per game, but has improved his 3-point shot over time, making him a potential asset coming off the bench for contending teams. The center the Kings traded him for, Sam Dalembert, was an improvement on the defensive end but only spent one season in Sacramento. Perhaps the Kings could’ve gotten more out of the Hawes pick.

2007 NBA DRAFT PICK HIDDEN GEMS 

27. Arron Afflalo: The 3-and-D shooting guard started slow but has ended up with a productive career, averaging 11.6 points per game and 38.5 percent shooting from deep for five teams. Joined his sixth team, Sacramento, this offseason.

28. Tiago Splitter: In typical Spurs fashion, San Antonio found a solid international player with a relatively low draft pick. The Brazilian center started for the Spurs’ 2013-14 championship team, but was eventually traded to Atlanta to make room for the signing of LaMarcus Aldridge.

31. Carl Landry: This journeyman power forward can score, 10.8 points in 22.5 minutes per game for his career, but has seen his relevance drop in recent years with losing teams in Sacramento and Philadelphia.

35. Glen Davis: “Big Baby” won a championship with Boston as a rookie and contributed to subsequent contending Celtics squads, including 11.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in 2010-11, before he was traded to Orlando for Brandon Bass in a lateral move for both teams. The rest of his career was plagued by injuries.

48. Marc Gasol: The true hidden gem of this draft was an afterthought while getting traded to Memphis as part of a package for his own brother, Pau. But the younger Gasol’s career is hardly an afterthought, as Marc developed into one of the best two-way centers in the league, a franchise cornerstone for the Grizzlies, and the Defensive Player of the Year in 2013.

Where the 2007 draft's 10 best careers were picked

The class's top 10 by career win shares and the pick each was taken with. Orange: picked outside the top 10.

Show the data behind this chart

Where the 2007 draft's 10 best careers were picked

Win shares rank	Player	Pick	Career win shares
1	Kevin Durant	2	186.1
2	Al Horford	3	119.4
3	Mike Conley	4	107.6
4	Thaddeus Young	12	71.9
5	Joakim Noah	9	61.9
6	Jeff Green	5	56.1
7	Jared Dudley	22	43
8	Arron Afflalo	27	33.5
9	Marco Belinelli	18	30.5
10	Wilson Chandler	23	29

2007 NBA DRAFT ANALYSIS: LESSONS LEARNED

A good draft pick can change a franchise, even if the player eventually leaves

Durant (Thunder), Horford (Hawks), and Noah (Bulls) all left their teams in 2016 free agency, leaving the squads that drafted them with nothing in return. But they all gave their initial franchises nine solid years and changed the cultures of those teams for the better. The Thunder, Hawks, and Bulls are all better off for having those players, even in their current absence. In that sense, free agency departures years later don’t re-write the history of a good draft pick.

It’s no longer a big man’s league

What if Greg Oden actually stayed healthy? Would he have been the right pick over Durant? Doubtful. During Oden’s brief time on the court, he showed glimpses of potential, but nothing near the superstardom of KD. Durant, as it turns out, would have been a better pick for the Blazers not just because of his health, but because of his significance as an elite wing scorer in an era that has increasingly de-emphasized offensively challenged big men like Oden.

Time can heal the wounds of a bad draft pick

Yes, the Blazers were set back by choosing Oden over Durant, but nine years later they’re in essentially the same position as the team that scored KD. Portland weathered the free agency loss of LaMarcus Aldridge to make a surprising run to the second round of the playoffs this past season. Oklahoma City, coming off a Conference Finals appearance, lost Durant to Golden State and now actually seems to be in the same boat as Portland talent-wise. That being said, not picking Durant in 2007 is still a haunting “What if?” scenario for the Blazers.

Who was the best player from the 2007 NBA Draft?

Unfortunately for the Blazers, we all know that it was NOT Greg Oden.

It was Kevin Durant, taken second by the Seattle SuperSonics, and it isn’t close. Rookie of the Year in 2008. Four scoring titles. The 2014 MVP. Two championships and two Finals MVP awards with Golden State in 2017 and 2018. Four Olympic gold medals. More than 30,000 career points, a mark only a handful of players have reached.

What about the combine? Did NBA scouts learn anything from the 2007 NBA draft combine?

They learned the wrong lesson, mostly. The pre-draft camp was held in Orlando that spring, with the usual measurements, strength tests and agility drills from the combine.

The story everyone remembers is the bench press. Durant couldn’t lift 185 pounds a single time. Oden, meanwhile, looked like a grown man next to the other prospects. For a few weeks the bench press was treated as evidence in the Oden-versus-Durant debate. It turned out to have nothing to do with being able to score 30 a night.

Trades that happened at the 2007 NBA draft

• Seattle sent Ray Allen and the 35th pick (Glen Davis) to Boston for Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and the fifth pick, Jeff Green.
• Golden State sent Jason Richardson to Charlotte for the eighth pick, Brandan Wright.
• Portland sent Zach Randolph to the Knicks in a deal that brought back Steve Francis and Channing Frye, clearing the way for Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge.

How does the ’07 draft compare to the drafts from: 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009?

• 2005 had Chris Paul and Deron Williams at the top and not much depth. 2007 has the better best player.
• 2006 is generally seen as a weak class, with LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Rajon Rondo and Kyle Lowry as its high points. 2007 is stronger.
• 2008 was deeper: Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love and a long list of good centers. See our 2008 NBA draft recap.
• 2009 beats them all, with Stephen Curry, James Harden and Blake Griffin.

A quick analysis of each NBA team’s first round draft pick and how it turned out:

1. Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers) – Supposed to be the next great center. Knee injuries limited him to 105 NBA games in total, and Portland waived him in 2012.
2. Kevin Durant (Seattle SuperSonics) – One season in Seattle, eight in Oklahoma City, then Golden State, Brooklyn, Phoenix and Houston. One of the best scorers the league has ever had.
3. Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks) – Five-time All-Star. Nine seasons in Atlanta, then Boston, where he finally won a title in 2024. Possible hall of famer.
4. Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies) – Twelve seasons as the Grizzlies’ point guard, then Utah and Minnesota. Made exactly one All-Star team, in 2021, and got a lot of money.
5. Jeff Green (Boston Celtics) – Traded to Seattle on draft night for Ray Allen. Never an All-Star, but he played for about a dozen teams, came back from heart surgery and won a ring with Denver in 2023.
6. Yi Jianlian (Milwaukee Bucks) – Never lived up to the pick. Or as Bill Simmons calls him, The Chairman, because he posted up against a chair during a workout. Based on his draft position, we think he scored against the chair.
7. Corey Brewer (Minnesota Timberwolves) – A career energy guy who somehow scored 51 points in a game in 2014. Fun player but feels like a disappointment.
8. Brandan Wright (Charlotte Bobcats) – Traded to Golden State on draft night for Jason Richardson. An efficient backup big man for a decade. Would thrive in today’s NBA.
9. Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls) – Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-NBA in 2014, when he finished fourth in the MVP voting. Nine seasons as the heart of the Bulls.
10. Spencer Hawes (Sacramento Kings) – A 7-footer who could pass and shoot a little. Ten seasons, six teams.
11. Acie Law IV (Atlanta Hawks) – A great college player who never found a role. His name was way better than his career.
12. Thaddeus Young (Philadelphia 76ers) – Sixteen seasons and more than 1,100 games. Never a star, always useful.
13. Julian Wright (New Orleans Hornets) – Out of the league after four seasons.
14. Al Thornton (Los Angeles Clippers) – A good rookie year and not much after it. Al can score when he tries.
15. Rodney Stuckey (Detroit Pistons) – Seven seasons with the Pistons, then Indiana. Reliable point guard, kept the game focused.
16. Nick Young (Washington Wizards) – Swaggy P. Never took anything seriously, but won a ring with Steph in 2018.
17. Sean Williams (New Jersey Nets) – A shot-blocker who lasted four seasons.
18. Marco Belinelli (Golden State Warriors) – He could catch fire and give you 15 points in a quarter. Won the Three-Point Contest and a title with the Spurs in 2014. The European Jannero Pargo.
19. Javaris Crittenton (Los Angeles Lakers) – Played for three teams in two seasons. He later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
20. Jason Smith (Miami Heat, traded to Philadelphia) – A backup big man with a jump shot for eleven seasons.
21. Daequan Cook (Philadelphia 76ers, traded to Miami) – Won the Three-Point Contest in 2009.
22. Jared Dudley (Charlotte Bobcats) – Fourteen seasons as a role player and locker-room voice. He won a ring with the Lakers. He belonged in the YMCA.
23. Wilson Chandler (New York Knicks) – A solid starting forward for the Knicks and Nuggets.
24. Rudy Fernández (Phoenix Suns, traded to Portland) – Four NBA seasons, then a huge career with Real Madrid and Spain.
25. Morris Almond (Utah Jazz) – Bust.
26. Aaron Brooks (Houston Rockets) – Most Improved Player in 2010.
27. Arron Afflalo (Detroit Pistons) – A dependable two-way guard for eleven seasons.
28. Tiago Splitter (San Antonio Spurs) – Stayed in Spain for three years, then started at center for the 2014 champions.
29. Alando Tucker (Phoenix Suns) – Barely played.
30. Petteri Koponen (Philadelphia 76ers, traded to Portland) – Never played in the NBA. His rights later went to Dallas. The Mavs always have to have a convo with a European, see: Dirk, Luka.

The best value came later. Marc Gasol went 48th. Carl Landry (31st), Glen Davis (35th, a champion with the 2008 Celtics, and considered to be very annoying) and Ramon Sessions (56th, a classic table setter point guard) all had long careers.

Any notable scandals or stories surrounding the 2007 draft? Final Takeaways?

The story of the draft was Oden or Durant. Oden was a 7-foot center from Ohio State who looked like a once-in-a-decade defender. Durant was a skinny forward from Texas and the first freshman ever named national player of the year. Portland took the center, as teams had done for 50 years, and Seattle happily took what was left.

The other story was Yi Jianlian. His camp didn’t want him to go to Milwaukee and kept the Bucks from working him out. The Bucks drafted him sixth anyway, he held out for weeks before signing, and he was traded after one season.

And then there was Joakim Noah, who would have been a top-three pick in 2006, went back to Florida, won a second national title and slid to ninth. He turned out fine.

Overall, the 2007 NBA draft was one of the more interesting and unpredictable in recent history!!

BONUS ROUND: Popular Questions from the 2007 NBA Draft:

Greg Oden vs Kevin Durant:

Oden played 105 NBA games. Durant has played more than 1,100 and is still going. That is the whole comparison. The fairer question is whether Portland was wrong at the time, and most of the league would have made the same pick. Centers who could defend like Oden were how you won championships, and nobody knew his knees wouldn’t hold up.

How many future hall of famers were drafted in ’07?

Kevin Durant: Not even a question if he will make the hall of fame, but rather will he be a unanimous decision? The number 2 pick from the 2007 NBA draft might end up being a top 10 all time player.

Al Horford: Most likely. Five-time All-Star, well over 150 playoff games and a championship with Boston in 2024. Sure, he made a mistake when he left Boston for Philly and then languished in Oklahoma City, until Boston brought him back. He also won 2 championships with Florida. He will make the hall, just not right away.

Joakim Noah: A tough call, cuz the Bulls big man definitely had a shot. He was a fan fave in Chicago, won DPOY and came in 4th for MVP in 2014. But he played only 672 career games, and the peak was short. Even with the two college championships he won with Florida, Noah falls short.

Marc Gasol: Drafted 48th in the ’07 draft, Gasol took some time to develop. His rights were traded for his brother Pau, and soon after the Grizzlies made history by winning their first playoff series ever, as an 8-seed upsetting the No. 1 San Antonio Spurs in 2011. He was Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, first-team All-NBA in 2015 and a champion with Toronto in 2019.

Add the international career and it is a strong case. With Spain’s national team, Marc won Olympic silver in 2008 and 2012 and gold at the FIBA World Cup in 2006 and 2019, plus two EuroBasket golds. His resume stacks up with, if not surpasses, inductees such as Vlade Divac, Dino Radja and Sarunas Marciulionis, whose international careers counted for a lot.

Rudy Fernandez: Yes, we know that Rudy’s NBA career left a bit to be desired. But there is a bigger, international picture here similar to Marc Gasol. He won four EuroBasket golds and two World Cup golds with Spain, has two silvers and a bronze from the Olympics, and won the EuroLeague with Real Madrid. Will he make the HOF? Probably not as an NBA player, but it is interesting to discuss his international career.

Will Kevin Durant’s Sonics Stay in Seattle?

They didn’t, and it is one of the more heartbreaking backdrop stories to the 2007 NBA draft. The ownership group, led by Clay Bennett, wanted public money for a new arena to replace the aging KeyArena and didn’t get it. Read Bill Simmons’ take on the matter here.

In 2008, Bennett’s group reached a settlement with the city that let the team leave for Oklahoma City, where it became the Thunder. Seattle had supported the SuperSonics for 41 years and got one season of Kevin Durant.

Why did Joakim Noah Stay in College for an Extra Year?

The official answer is that he and his Florida teammates wanted to win another title together, and they did: the Gators repeated as national champions in 2007.

But let’s cut the BS here. In 2006 he was projected to go in the top three, so from a money and draft standpoint he made a mistake, falling to ninth a year later. The reason he could afford to is that his family was wealthy (his father is the tennis star Yannick Noah). He did not have the financial pressure that other draftees had.

The Birth of ‘Trader’ Danny Ainge, After the KG Draft Night Trade

The 07 draft was also notable for what Boston did around it. On draft night, Danny Ainge traded for future hall of famer Ray Allen. A month later he picked up Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves, getting Paul Pierce the help he had needed for years.

The Celtics sent Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair and draft picks to Minnesota for Garnett. Boston won the championship the following June. It also gave birth to a now infamous and still relevant nickname: Trader.

10 MUST-SEE facts and statistics from the 2007 NBA Draft:

1. Sixty players were drafted, 30 in each round. (Source)
2. Durant has scored far more points than anyone else in the class: more than 30,000.
3. Durant was the first freshman to win the Naismith award as college player of the year.
4. He averaged 20.3 points as a rookie and won Rookie of the Year.
5. Three Florida teammates went in the top nine: Horford (3rd), Corey Brewer (7th) and Noah (9th).
6. Two Ohio State freshmen went in the top four: Oden (1st) and Conley (4th).
7. Three players from the class won Defensive Player of the Year or made first-team All-NBA: Durant, Noah and Marc Gasol.
8. Belinelli became the first Italian to win an NBA championship, with the Spurs in 2014.
9. Thaddeus Young, the 12th pick, played more than 1,100 games without ever making an All-Star team.
10. Marc Gasol, the 48th pick, made three All-Star teams. Only Durant and Horford from this draft made more.

Are there any players from the 2007 draft who are still active in the NBA?

As late as the 2025-26 season, four members of the class were still on NBA rosters, all of them top-five picks: Durant, Horford, Conley and Jeff Green. Everyone else had retired. Dudley went into coaching and makes a lot of noise on the sidelines.

Why is the 2007 NBA Draft referred to as: The Kevin Durant Draft Class?

Because nobody else from it comes close. The player picked ahead of him barely had a career. The best of the rest, Horford and Marc Gasol, were All-Stars and champions, and neither was ever the best player in the league. Durant was drafted second and was the best guy by a mile!