Greg Oden Living Up to the Hype?

Greg Oden’s transition to the NBA hasn’t been nearly as smooth as expected. When he was drafted, Oden was viewed as the NBA’s next great center. Instead of dominating right away, it’s been a bumpy road filled with injuries, self doubt and poor play.

However, it now seems like Oden is starting to figure it all out. On Monday night against the Chicago Bulls, the Portland Trail Blazers starting center had a dominant outing. In only 27 minutes, Oden poured in 24 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots, while hitting 7-of-8 shots from the field and 10-of-12 from the free throw line.

Though he’s playing his best basketball of his NBA career this season, there are two areas where he is still struggling: turnovers and fouls. In slightly more than 24 minutes, he’s averaging four fouls and nearly two turnovers. To truly become an elite player, he’ll have to lower both of those numbers.

The Blazers, who beat the Bulls by a final score of 122-98, are currently a very good team. If Oden lives up to the hype and becomes a dominant player? The Blazers could be a great team.

Greg Oden - Portland Trail Blazers (Image: Zuma Press)