Durant to be named top rookie

May 1, 2008 - 3:15 PM SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Seattle SuperSonics forward Kevin Durant reportedly will be named the NBA's Rookie of the Year on Thursday.

According to a report published Wednesday in the Seattle Times, Durant will finish ahead of Atlanta Hawks forward Al Horford and become the first Seattle player to win the honor.

The NBA officially will announce the Rookie of the Year winner on Thursday.

Durant, the second overall pick in last year's draft out of Texas, became a favorite at the beginning of the year when Portland center Greg Oden, the top pick in the 2007 draft, underwent season-ending knee surgery.

The 19-year-old Durant was one of the few bright spots for the Sonics, who finished 20-62 for the worst record in the franchise's 41-year history.

Durant paced all rookies in scoring, assists and free-throw percentage. He averaged 20.3 points and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 87 percent from the line.

Durant's scoring average was the highest for a rookie since LeBron James' mark of 20.9 in 2003-04.






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