Kevin Hervey had been dreaming of hearing his name called in the NBA draft ever since he hit his first half-court shot at age 7. After breaking onto the varsity squad as a junior in high school, Hervey was named to the All-District Team, having averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds per game. A tough knee injury hindered his senior season, but he soon enough found himself at the University of Texas at Arlington.

His dream followed him all the way through his college experience, where he became arguably the most decorated player to ever go through the Mavericks’ program. As a freshman, Hervey averaged 7.1 points while playing in 31 games, starting 16 of those. Sophomore season, a similar knee injury returned. When he was shut down for the remainder of the year, he had been averaging 18.1 points and 9.8 rebounds – good enough for a spot on the Lou Henson Award midseason watch list.

The expectations for Hervey were through the roof by the time the 2016-2017 season rolled around. After being named Preseason Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, he delivered (and more). Hervey started 28 games, averaging similar numbers as his prior year (17.1 pts, 8.5 reb). He was named an AP Honorable Mention All-American, and took home the Sun Belt Conference Student-Athlete Player of the Year. Hervey also was honored with the league’s Player of the Year award, and additionally was named to the all-conference first team. The Mavericks won a program-high 27 games that year, and it had become clear that he was the difference maker.

The dreams of professional basketball were still around when Hervey took the floor at UT-Arlington for the final time, except the difference this time was that they would inevitably come true. He finished his senior season averaging 20.5 points per game, the conference’s second highest figure. The 6’9” forward was named to All-Sun Belt First Team for the second year in a row, which wrapped up an extremely impressive collegiate career.

Sam Presti, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s General Manager, ultimately made the choice to take Kevin Hervey with the 57th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. The pair had a good conversation earlier in the week, and it was just the right fit. Hervey took some time to speak with SneakerReporter.com following his selection, and here’s what he had to say.

SR: What did your time at UT-Arlington teach you?

Hervey: The program guided me from boyhood to manhood. Taught me a lot about how to conduct myself not only as a basketball player, but as a person.

SR: How does it feel to be a part of the Oklahoma City Thunder organization?

Hervey: Got to give credit to everyone who’s helped me along this journey to reach this point. I’ve been an OKC fan since they moved to the city, and I feel this organization best fits me as a player and who I am as a person. I’m looking forward to being able to work with the staff and continuing the hard work that I’ve put in to get me to this point, and continue to reach new heights in my career.

SR: What was your reaction when you found out the Thunder were drafting you?

Hervey: When I found out I was getting picked I was excited, and it is a blessing to have been able to say for the rest of my life that I’ve been drafted.

SR: Describe your game and what you see your role as. What are the things you do well, and what do you need to work on?

Hervey: Hard worker, knock down shooter, good defender. I can shoot the ball very well, underrated passer, high basketball IQ, and a great teammate. But, I need to work on my lateral quickness and overall athleticism.

SR: How do you think your game translates to professional basketball?

Hervey: I think my style of play transitions to the NBA well. I’m a guy who can space the floor, be a threat with my shot making abilities, and be able to guard multiple positions on D.

SR: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Hervey: In 5 years, I see myself somewhere working on my game trying to be the best player I can be. Hopefully on OKC, contributing to the team in whatever way I can – OKC is where I want to be.

SR: What’s your favorite basketball memory?

Hervey: Beating Ohio State and Memphis back-to-back.

SR: Do you have a message to those looking to you as an inspiration?

Hervey: Anything is possible. No matter what people think of you, what they say about you, what they think you are capable of… as long as you have faith in yourself and confidence in your abilities, you can accomplish whatever it is you set your sights on. Nothing in life is easy and if you are willing to work, you can achieve.

Even though the 2017-2018 season is over, basketball fans still have a lot to look forward to. The draft is on June 21st, and all of July is the remarkably interesting free agency period. One of the most exciting events takes place on June 25th, which is the NBA Awards show. It was just announced that rapper Travis Scott will be performing for the audience that night, and the major award winners will all be announced on the TNT-hosted special. Some voters have already leaked their votes, but there’s no definite way to know yet who’ll take home a trophy. With that being said, here are some predictions as to who the winners are of the 2017-2018 NBA awards.

Most Valuable Player – James Harden

After finishing in second place for voting in both the 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 seasons, it’s finally his time to hold up the Maurice Podoloff Trophy. He led the Rockets, undeniably with a decent amount of help from Chris Paul, to 65 regular season wins. Harden led the league in scoring at 30.4 ppg, and nearly averaged a double-double with 8.8 ast. He also held the highest PER this year (29.87), and the second highest VA (Value Added) behind LeBron James. The King has also had a historically unreal season, but at this point it’s what’s expected of him. Obviously it doesn’t really mean much in terms of MVP voting, but Harden even brought Houston within 1 game of the Finals. Either way, he’s been the most valuable asset to any team this year.

Rookie of the Year – Ben Simmons

The case for ROY is a very close one, with Donovan Mitchell trailing behind closely. The Sixers finished with 52 wins, good enough for the Eastern Conference 3rd seed. Just last year they won only 28 games so clearly something, namely a 6’10 point guard from Australia, had a huge impact. Joel Embiid played All-Star basketball as well but Simmons was the team’s leader, and averaged near triple-double numbers. He posted 11 of them, which only trailed Westbrook and LeBron. Putting up 15.8 ppg, 8.1 reb, 8.2 ast, 1.7 stl, and 0.9 blk is more than enough to win Rookie of the Year. Sure, Mitchell averaged more points, but Simmons beat him in nearly every other category and Utah finished with less wins.

Coach of the Year – Dwane Casey

Why Dwane Casey ended up getting fired following the Raptors’ playoff exit is beyond most people, when you consider the fact that they were the 1-seed and won a franchise-high 59 games. Many other coaches can make their case for this award, but Casey was brilliant in his strategies. He wasn’t afraid to use his younger players such as Fred VanVleet, and Toronto’s second-most used lineup was one that consisted of four players less than 25 years old, all with three or less years of NBA experience. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry’s star roles were utilized perfectly, and less impactful players such as Jonas Valenciunas were given less minutes when necessary. Overall, Casey was outstanding in every facet. If the Raptors didn’t have to face LeBron in the playoffs, then their expectations for next year would be higher than ever. Now that the Pistons have landed Casey, things are looking good in the Motor City.

 

Most Improved Player – Victor Oladipo

Oladipo is probably the only winner this year who is clear-cut, with no debate. He was an All-Star for the first time of his career, and posted fantastic numbers. The Pacers’ trade with Oklahoma City originally looked like a huge waste of money for Indiana (think Oladipo’s $84m contract), but at this point, it was the best thing for the franchise. They made the playoffs with 48 wins, nearly toppled LeBron in 7 games, and gained another impressive piece in Domantas Sabonis. Oladipo averaged career-highs in every major category (points, steals, rebounds, assists, blocks), and lead the NBA in steals. His scoring jumped up nearly 8 more points per contest than last year, at 23.1. At just 26 years old, his ceiling is through the roof and he is clearly the most improved player.

Defensive Player of the Year – Anthony Davis

Many people have put Rudy Gobert above Davis for this award, but Davis has been better statistically. Gobert even missed more than a quarter of the year due to injury, but he obviously had an insane defensive season. Despite all of that, Davis still led the NBA in blocks (2.6 per game, 193 overall), and even averaged more steals than Gobert (1.5 to 0.8). He outrebounded Gobert as well, with 0.4 more per game. Defensively, Davis couldn’t be beaten. The Pelicans relied on him as their anchor, and he stepped up right into that role, especially following Demarcus Cousins’ achilles tear that ended his season in January. Joel Embiid also had a great year on the other side of the ball, but Anthony Davis’ was most impressive.

Sixth Man of the Year – Lou Williams

 

Williams put an entire team on his back for an extended period of team, and without him, the Clippers would have had a dreadful season. He led the entire league in total points in January, and if (when) he wins Sixth Man of the Year, his 22.6 ppg will be the second most points averaged ever for a player to take home this trophy. The man single-handedly beat the Warriors back in January, when he also dropped a career-high 50 points. Eric Gordon is a close second, but nobody has been more offensively dominant off the bench then Lou Williams. He won the award back in 2015, and it’ll be no surprise if it’s handed to him again this year.