Trotwood grad gets NBA shot after Kevin Durant departure

    In speaking with Trotwood legend and Euroleague Champion Chris Wright last week before the Local Legends Charity Bball  game, he was not playing in the game like he normally does.

Wright shutting down Kobe Bryant

  When asked about his future endeavors? He said he had something in the fold.
With a poker face.

  Well, the NBA has come back calling.

  Wright has signed a contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder as he will look to solidfy himself and show he belongs in the league.

About 5 or 6 years ago me and a couple colleauges were arguing about this exact point.

    Could Chris Wright play in the NBA?
 
  Wright, a former UD Flyer who led the Flyers to its highest ranking in 25 years in his helm, is a 6'9 combo forward, with a long wing span, unbelievable hops, a NFL  tight end body and the inate ability to make winning plays.

  The NBA used to be a "Stereotype" league before the International game seeped in.
  If you wasn't a certain height, or couldn't do a certain skill at your position?

 Then it was no chance.

For instance, in Wrights' position, here was his scouting report 7 years ago:

 A 6-9  athletic forward, not quite bulky enough to play power forward, but not a good enough shooter to play small forward.  Has a decent midrange shot, but needs to develop 3-point range. Good interior defender, with a knack for making "ESPN Top 10" type plays.

 Now while I screamed til the crows came home that Wright was a NBA player, most felt he would be a Overseas lifer.

 I disagreed.

I felt like if he got the right shot, he could make a major impact.
  He did get a shot, as he played with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors a few years ago, scoring 25 in the final game of the regular season.

 While it did go unnoticed, it still set the tone for the future.
 Wright would then have hit the NBDL circuit before going overseas for a couple years. In his last season, Wright won a Championship in highly touted Israeali  League, which he was a major factor.

   Wright has developed a consistent jump shot, and his work ethic has gotten him another chance.
Not to mention his faith.

And even if he can't hit the 3 ball consistently, it doesn't matter.

 He does everything else well, which is what the Oklahoma City Thunder need, and like.

Lockdown Defense, Major Athleticsm, rebounding, blocking, and a ridiculous Aerial Attack offensively; not to mention a pure grinder and a relentlessly hard worker, and a True Professional in every sense of the word.

 When you lose a 6'10 Hall of Fame bound MVP scoring machine like Kevin Durant, you look for the closest next option.

     It seems that Oklahoma City loves big players at each position, and Wright fits in perfectly with the Thunder.

Now with the league shifting to a faster, smaller, Euro-type league now, there is ample room for a guy like Wright, who could be the quintessential 4 man, with the ability to play 3 to 4 positions on Defense.

And if he can hit that open NBA 3 consistently?
Watch out.

  Look for Chris Wright to make a name in the Oklahoma City camp and to be on the roster and playing come NBA Season opener.

 Salute to a Local Legend who definitely deserves his chance.