2018 NBA Draft: Kevin Hervey arrives with injury prone reputation
Awards and honors:
Pro comparison:
The Ringers Kevin O’Connor likens Hervey to an interesting trio of Ersan Ilyasova, J.R. Smith and Brandon Rush.
If KOC is accurate on this projection than Hervey’s stock should rise significantly. I don’t buy any of these projections and feel like there should be an asterisk added with “lite” after each comparison. Even after Smith’s brutal final’s showing he still has produced at stages in his career. If Hervey could develop into providing the complimentary games of the above trio, he deserves a closer look by Sam Presti.
More from Thunderous Intentions
- Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
- Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
- 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
Current ranking:
ESPN/DraftExpress: 46th
The Ringer: 49th
Draft Net: 52nd
CBS Sports: 63rd
Sports Illustrated: 45th
Basketball Insider: 58th
Sporting News: 45th
Fit with OKC Thunder:
Based on the projections for Hervey it’s a sign teams and analysts aren’t sure about the injury aspect of the small forward. You have to believe a player with not one but two major knee surgeries has to have a flashing red light following him everywhere he goes.
If he could project to offer complimentary components to his game such as playmaking or ball distribution I might be more swayed. But, his clumsiness when trying to move or drive and a penchant to be turnover prone don’t project for this to be the situation.
Next: Hello Newman – Malik seeks to make a name for himself
Presti has other more viable candidates even this late in the draft who’ll fill the front court needs of the team.