In the NBA, there is no shortage of "flexible dead fat men", they are not outstanding, but they are enough tonnage, and they rampage like small tanks on the field, and the early NBA stars Wes Unseld, Buckley and Randolph, as well as the active Zion, are among the best. In this year's draft next year, there may be another player of this type who stands out. He is Kenneth Lofton Jr., who currently plays for Louisiana Tech.
When it comes to the 2022 draft winners, Chet Homegren's name is loud. But in the hearts of this champion, the real MVP has someone else, he is Loveton. Anyone who has watched Loveton's game has been impressed by him. This small fat man who is only 2.01 meters tall but weighs 125 kilograms has a flexible and foot action that does not match the physical condition, and the basic skills under the basket are quite solid, which can squeeze the opponent all the way with a thick body, kill a blood road, and can confuse the opponent with false actions, and even launch an attack from a high position.
Loveton, 19, was born on August 14, 2002, in Port Arthur, Texas. His father, Kenneth Sr., served in the U.S. Army and later served in the Postal Service for 18 years and was inducted into the Local Independent School District Trust Board in Port Arthur. Loveton's sister Kennedy was also a member of the women's basketball team when she attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Loveton's grandfather, Keane Duhon, nicknamed "The Rock", also studied at Southern University and was a member of the school's track and field team. He competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials and was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame.
Undoubtedly, from such a sports family, Loveton is destined to be associated with sports, and basketball has become his love. In his early years, Loveton attended Memorial High School in his hometown of Port Arthur. Initially, he was assigned as a defender due to his height, but as he grew older, he eventually became an interior player.
In his sophomore season, Loveton led the team to the 5A state championship. In his senior season, he averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists per game, led the team to win another 5A state championship, and was selected to the Louisiana 5A High School League Best Team, and was nominated for the McDonald's All-American High School Team.
Subsequently, Loveton promised to join Louisiana Tech. It's a college with a deep tradition of developing big players, and the carl Malone, PJ Brown and Millsap we know all come from. To date, the college has sent nine players to the NBA.
In his first season, Loveton played in 32 games, starting 28 games, averaging 12.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, shooting 56.7 percent from the field, making him a third-team member in the C-USA Division and being named the division's freshman of the year. In addition, he was named C-USA's Freshman of the Week nine times this season, equaling the third-best record in the division's history. At the same time, he also became the first Louisiana Polytechnic player to become the team's rebounding champion in his freshman season after Millsap.
On March 28, 2021, in a game for third place in the NIT Invitational Tournament (a league of colleges and universities that did not make it into that season's NCAA Championship), Loveton exploded with 27 points and 13 rebounds, all of which set a new season high, and hit a 0.3-second shot before the final game, leading the team to beat Colorado 76-74 and was named to the NIT's best team that year.
In the summer of 2021, Loveton was also invited to participate in the U-19 Men's Basketball World Cup in Latvia. It was at this tournament that Loveton's performance was amazing, and it was well received by a number of popular rookies, including Homegren and others. He averaged a team-high 13.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, leading the U.S. men's basketball team to the gold medal.
In the final, Loveton came off the bench, with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists on 7-of-13, including 15 points from the second half, and the U.S. men's basketball team also narrowly defeated the French men's basketball team led by the 2023 champions Victor Vinbanyama 83-81 to win the gold medal. In that game, Homegren had 10 points, five assists and two rebounds, while Vinban Yama grabbed 22 points, eight rebounds and eight blocks.
Although the MVP of the tournament was awarded to Homegren, even he sincerely praised Loveton's performance, believing that it was the latter's low-post attack, core strength and patience that injected endless vitality into the U.S. men's basketball team in the second half.
Once famous, it also made Loveton, who was reduced to a "sporadic high school student" when he graduated from high school, grow a bad breath. He tweeted in an update after the game: "From sporadic high school students to gold medalists, please give my name respect. ”
Taking advantage of the east wind, Loveton improved significantly in his sophomore season, playing 33 games as a starter, averaging 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game, and was selected as the best team in the C-USA Division. On March 22, Loveton announced his participation in this year's NBA Draft, but he has not hired an agent so far, meaning he is likely to withdraw his application and return to school before the roster is determined.
Loveton's current draft template is set as Randolph and "Big Baby" Glenn Davis. He has a thick body but excellent flexibility, and the low back singles are his best skills. He likes to seek physical contact and is good at card slots when grabbing rebounds. However, his height is a big concern about how to make a living in the long-running NBA, and he does not have a three-point range.
At present, in the NBA Draft 2022 and 2023 mock drafts, Loveton is still on the list, which indicates that his NBA road will not be very smooth. But who would refuse such a thick and cute "little fat mound"? (Supine Braces/Hairy)