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Wednesday, Jun. 30
Elton Brand
Drafted by:
Chicago, Round 1, pick 1.
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EXPERT ANALYSIS
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"Elton Brand is an intriguing pro prospect. At 6-8, he is undersized for a power forward, yet he runs the floor extremely well and can beat his man downcourt to score or establish early post position. He has long arms and huge hands, and he plays bigger than he's listed. Brand has a great touch, and can score with his back to the basket with simple post moves that will be more refined on the next level.
He is a "below-the-rim" player, but so is Karl Malone, the NBA player to whom Brand is most often compared. Brand is unorthodox and not always smooth, but he had great success even when keyed upon. Brand is agile and can step out and guard on the perimeter. A big question for Brand was his handling of the double-team. At first he would just bull his way through it, but later in his sophomore season he began to make better and quicker decisions. However, Brand did not react well to the double-teams he saw in the NCAA final against UConn, and looked unprepared.
Brand should be in better condition in the NBA and show even better speed and agility. The questions: Can he show a face-up game and hit the mid-range jumper? Can he guard bigger people inside and cover out on the perimeter?"
-- ESPN's Jay Bilas
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College: Duke
Height: 6-8
Weight: 260 pounds
Position: Forward
Age: 20
(March 11, 1979)
Birthplace: Peekskill, N.Y.
Career highlights
Early entry candidate for 1999 NBA draft
The first player ever from Duke to announce intention of leaving early
Scored in double figures in 53 of his 60 college games, posted double-digit rebounds 24 times and had 22 double-doubles
Career field goal percentage of .621 is a school record for players with at least 300 field goals made
Ranks fifth on Duke's all-time list with 113 blocked shots despite playing just two seasons
College highlights
Sophomore
Consensus National Player of the Year as a sophomore and USA Basketball's Man of the Year
Fourth player in 1990s to be voted unanimous AP First Team All-American, joining NBA stars Christian Laettner (Duke), Glenn Robinson (Purdue) and Tim Duncan (Wake Forest)
1999 ACC Player of the Year and Tournament MVP
Also named to All-ACC, All-East Region and All-Final Four and Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament teams
Four-time ACC Player of the Week
Led Duke with 17.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg (19th in nation) and 86 blocks, shooting .620 from the field (fourth in nation)
Topped ACC in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage and ranked fourth in blocks
Averaged 19.3 ppg and 10.3 rpg in ACC Tournament, 17.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 2.0 spg and 2.0 bpg in six NCAA Tournament games
Scored in double figures in every game except one and posted 19 double-doubles, including 11 in the last 17 games and five in a row Feb. 3-17
Scored a career-high 33 points against Virginia
Led or tied for the team lead in scoring 16 times and rebounding 28 times
Grabbed at least 10 rebounds in 20 games, with a career-high 21 against Fresno State, the most by a Duke player since Randy Denton had 25 against Northwestern in 1970
Blocked a career-high seven shots against St. John's
Freshman
AP honorable mention All-America as a freshman despite missing 15 games due to broken bone in left foot suffered in practice on Dec. 27
Played in 21 games with 18 starts and led team in rebounding at 7.3 rpg
Was leading team in scoring at 16.0 ppg prior to injury, finished season third at 13.4 ppg
Second on team with 27 blocks, getting at least two in 10 games
Named to All-Tournament Team at Maui Invitational
Scored in double figures 15 times, with season-highs of 23 points against Chaminade and North Carolina-Greensboro
Tallied 16 off the bench vs. North Carolina
Posted double-doubles against Michigan, Mercer and Syracuse
Grabbed season-high 14 rebounds vs. Syracuse in NCAA South Regional
Scored in double figures in each of his first seven collegiate games
One of only six freshman under coach Mike Krzyzewski to average in double figures in scoring, with Johnny Dawkins, Mark Alarie, Grant Hill and fellow 1999 NBA draft hopefuls Trajan Langdon and Corey Maggette.
College statistics
SEASON |
G |
FGM |
FGA |
PCT |
FTM |
FTA |
PCT |
REB |
AST |
PTS |
AVG |
| SEASON | G | FGM | FGA | PCT | FTM | FTA | PCT | REB | AST | PTS | AVG
| 1997-98 | 21 | 100 | 169 | .592 | 81 | 134 | .604 | 154 | 10 | 281 | 13.4
| 1998-99 | 39 | 255 | 411 | .620 | 181 | 256 | .707 | 382 | 41 | 691 | 17.7
| TOTALS | 60 | 355 | 580 | .612 | 262 | 390 | .672 | 536 | 51 | 972 | 16.2
| Three-point field goals: 1997-98, 0-for-0 (.000); 1998-99, 0-for-0 (.000). Totals: 0-for-0 (.000).
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