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With the NBA Draft Combine already in progress, Golden State Warriors star forward Kevin Durant could not help but recall the time when he participated to showcase his skill set.
Apparently, it did not go well for him 10 years ago as some scouts and conditioning coaches did not think he had what it takes to be successful in the league. He then gave his unsolicited advice to the young players who have declared for the draft and said, via ESPN's Chris Haynes, that they should just workout by themselves and skip the event.
“Stay your a– home, work out, and get better on your own time.”
The former MVP then shared the experience he had when some coaches laughed at him for his lack of strength. He took it as a challenge and motivated himself to prove them all wrong.
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“I remember it like it was yesterday. 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.'”
Durant then said that the Draft Combine is a good avenue for players who are not projected to be top picks to try and move up the ladder. He also added that it's a good move for the highly-touted prospects to just skip it completely.
“It's good for guys who are trying to fight their way into the first round, fight their way into the draft … go to play. But if you're like a top pick and you know you're going to be a top pick, just work out. 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.”
It is a surprising take from Durant indeed. While most players in this year's draft pool are already participants, the future top prospects may very well opt to not do the same, especially after hearing it from one of the biggest stars of the league today.
