I'm a big fan of the North Carolina Tar Heels, and for four years I was forced to watch Duncan's Wake Forest Demon Deacons dominate the Heels in his familiar, methodical fashion.
For one, I could never understand why Duncan, who was just as ready for the NBA in his freshman year, never took his talents to the NBA earlier.
During the time he was at Wake Forest, which seemed like an eternity, Duncan never seemed to make any huge advancement in his game, yet each season he became even more dominant.
I found out the reason there was no visible improvement in Duncan's game was because by his sophomore year in college, he was already the most fundamentally skilled big man in all of basketball.
When watching Duncan it's easy to forget how dominant he truly is, because he makes the game look so simple.
There's really nothing flashy about Duncan's game, and opponents usually have a pretty good idea of what he's going to do, but they are powerless to stop it.
Duncan's footwork in the paint was a thing of beauty, and he had the ability to score with either hand, with his back to the basket in the post.
Duncan was just as good on defense, and his 7'0" frame and athleticism made him a natural rebounder on both ends of the court.
It's safe to say I was pleased to see Duncan finally leave Wake Forest for the NBA, but in hindsight, I was just entering a different level of torment.
Duncan arrived to the San Antonio Spurs with the exact same skill set he had in college, and he achieved the same exact results.
The only thing Duncan has added to his game through his career as far as I can tell is his kiss-the-glass jump shot from the wing, yet he has been consistently dominant.<...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
