NBA

Greg Oden amazes fans with Chinese basketball debut

Nate Taylor
IndyStar
Miami Heat center Greg Oden goes through pregame warmups prior to the game against the Indiana Pacers inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Wednesday, March 26, 2014, in Indianapolis.

Give Greg Oden credit: He is doing what he can to continue his basketball career.

On Sunday, while most Americans were asleep, Oden began his comeback odyssey in the Chinese Basketball Association. In his first game, Oden led the Jiangsu Nangang Dragons to a 79-76 victory against  the Bayi Fubang Rockets with a stat line that was as impressive as it was stunning: 19 points, 24 rebounds and four blocks in 28 minutes.

Oden, a 7-foot center who starred at Lawrence North High School, displayed the power, skill and athleticism in Sunday’s game that made him the top overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. Throughout the game, Oden had plenty of highlights where he overwhelmed smaller defenders on his way to two-handed dunks. But he also showed his versatility on offense by making a couple midrange jumpers. He finished the game making half of his 18 shot attempts.

It is unclear if Oden will dominate the CBA as well as Stephon Marbury, another once-star in the NBA who found success in China. But Sunday was an encouraging sign for player who’s spent much of his NBA career on the bench because of injures.

Oden’s first major injury came during his senior year at Lawrence North when he needed surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist. That injury forced him to miss the early portion of his freshman season at Ohio State. But once he was on the court, Oden was a dominant presence in the low post and led the Buckeyes to the national championship game alongside Mike Conley Jr., who now plays for the Memphis Grizzlies.

After scoring 25 points and collecting 12 rebounds in the championship game against Florida, many NBA general managers considered Oden the top player in the draft. The Portland Trail Blazers selected him with the top pick over Kevin Durant, who went to the Seattle SuperSonics and later became the league’s MVP with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Oden missed the 2007-08 season after having microfracture surgery on his right knee. For the next three seasons, Oden sustained significant injuries, including having microfracture surgery on his left knee in 2010.

IndyStar Mr. Basketball front on Greg Oden

In the three seasons he played with the Trail Blazers and the Miami Heat, Oden appeared in just 105 games and averaged eight points and 6.2 rebounds, statistics far below what he was projected to produce with his potential.

Before Sunday, Oden’s last professional game was with the Heat on April 16, 2014.

What Oden hopes to accomplish with the Dragons is to play enough games and to perform at a high enough level to garner interest from NBA teams. Former stars Tracy McGrady and Metta World Peace played in the CBA before making their returns to the NBA.

Call Star reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter: @ByNateTaylor.