If you think Kevin Durant was the best thing the Seattle Supersonics got out of the NBA Draft you might be right. But if you think Durant was the only thing gem they unearthed last month, you?re wrong.

When Seattle traded Ray Allen to Boston in exchange for Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak on Draft Night the focus wasn?t on either of those two, but rather the Celtics? fifth overall pick. That pick became Georgetown?s Jeff Green.

This year?s draft has been about many things. It started with the great Greg Oden-Kevin Durant debate, extended to the trio of Gators taken in the Lottery, will end when Yi Jianlian decides whether or not he?ll suit up for the Milwaukee Bucks. What many people around the game have missed, is that Green has the chance to be just as good as all the players listed above ? and he may be ready to do so right away.

Jeff will turn twenty-one on August 8th, but he?s mature beyond his age. That maturity has allowed Green to play a variety of positions throughout his basketball career, never having been labeled at a single spot. At 6-9 it?s expected that Green will eventually settle in as a small forward in the NBA, but beyond that everything else is up to Jeff.

?I can do a lot of different things, off-the-dribble or down in the low post,? Green said.

Spending a great deal of time with the rookie prospects in the hours before they entered the League, I came away most impressed with Green. Not only did he speak fluently and articulately, but he seemed genuine and comfortable in his words. Oh yeah, and he can play too.

There seem to be players just like Green entering the NBA everyday, but what separates the good ones from the busts are characteristics like maturity and a superb work ethic. Green doesn?t just possess both of those traits, he embraces them. ?Playing under Coach Thompson you have to be very disciplined and I feel like I?ve matured as a person playing under Coach. He taught me a lot of things about being not just a player but a person,? Green admitted.

With Durant enjoying all of the limelight, Green will be able to do what he does best ? a little bit of everything. You could assume that Seattle might let Durant write his own path. If he excels on the perimeter they?ll play him outside, but if he bulks up and succeeds banging inside then he?ll see more paint than perimeter. Green, however, will be asked to pick up the slack elsewhere.

He?s ready.

When asked how he enjoyed the draft process, just prior to the big event, Green said, ?It?s exciting but it?s been a long, long, long time from June 5 until now working out with teams. It?s going to be great to hear my name called but the next day I?ve got to get back to work.?

That?s exactly what he did.

In five Summer League games Green averaged 14.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game for the Sonics. You also have to consider how skewed those numbers can become in the summer. Almost no one earns consistent playing time. In the league finale Green scored 32 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in thirty-nine minutes of play, showcasing the type of output he is capable of in the Emerald City.

Green?s scoring numbers were second to just one player. You guessed it, Kevin Durant. That?s okay with Green, because he was also among the team leaders in rebounding (third), assists (second), and blocks (fourth) as well.

Seattle may not have won a single Summer League game, but they certainly scored on a hot summer night in June. They may have lost Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, but it?s not unrealistic to expect the Sonics to improve on their 31-win season.

For both Green, and Sonics? fans, the next few seasons might be ?a dream come true.?

What kind of NBA player do you think Jeff Green will become? [email protected]