In 2005, the NBA outlawed players from entering the draft straight out of high school and made it mandatory for them to be at least one year removed from graduation to be draft-eligible. This meant that Kevin Durant, who was looking to enter the 2006 NBA draft, had to spend a year at the University of Texas, where he was so dominant that Michael Beasley declared it the best one-and-done season ever.
On the Club 520 podcast, host Jeff Teague asked former Knicks and Lakers star if his one-and-done season at Kansas State University was the best in history. During his sole season with his alma mater, the forward averaged a remarkable 26.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game.
He was college basketball’s rebounding leader in 2008 and was a first-team All-American as a freshman. Despite his stellar resume, he picked Durant’s campaign as the best one-and-done season. Explaining why, he said,
“I rebounded more than I scored. Most of my points came off offensive rebounds, putbacks and face-up jump shot… I watched KD I think he was really cool.”
He added that Durant’s play style was more enjoyable to watch than his. Beasley, who played more as a post-player with a strong face-up jumper, tallied four offensive rebounds per game and scored a lot of second-chance points.
On the contrary, the Suns superstar was a prolific scorer from the perimeter and beyond the arc, using his size advantage to great effect.
Kevin Durant’s stellar season with Texas
During his only season with Texas Longhorns, the forward wreaked havoc. At 6-foot-9, he could easily shoot over smaller players, and his agility, sleek footwork, and exceptional ball handling meant bigger defenders had no chance of containing him.
In his sole season in college, Durant averaged 25.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, and 1.9 steals per game, shooting 47.3% from the field, and converting 40.4% of his three-point attempts.
Durant won the National Player Of The Year award and was a first-team All-American. He couldn’t lead the Longhorns past the second round of the NCAA Tournament despite scoring 30 points and grabbing nine rebounds against USC. He could have opted to return for another year to try to win a National Championship.
However, the forward had no interest in spending another season in college and declared for the 2007 NBA Draft, where the Seattle Supersonics picked him second overall.