NBA Draft 2012: Anthony Davis Isn't Perfect, and Here's Why

Anthony Davis has a lot going for him, enough to make him the consensus top prospect amidst the deepest NBA Draft class in years.

Perfection, though, isn't part of the equation.

To Davis' credit, he's essentially Jay Bilas' dream incarnate. He's tall (6'10"), and height is always at a premium in the NBA, if only because people of his height are almost as rare on the court as they are in the general population.

He's also incredibly long, with a wing span of 7'4" and boasts the sort of breathtaking leaping ability and fleet-footed lateral quickness that allows him to use his drool-inducing blend of height and length to impressive effect.

Whether it's blocking shots (which he did more frequently than anyone else in the NCAA during his freshman season at Kentucky), pulling down rebounds inside and outside of his area (to the tune of 10.4 boards per game) or going up for lobs, Davis has few equals in the wide world of basketball, NBA or otherwise.

Davis also comes complete with a reputation for hard work and level-headedness. That's unusual for a highly regarded player raised on the modern AAU circuit but makes some sense for a kid who was a virtual unknown up until his senior year of high school.

Unknown, because up to that point, he was a lightly recruited, 6'2" guard coming out of a school (Perspectives Charter) that was hardly known for hoops, even in a city as hardwood-happy as Chicago.

It's in that "newness" (not to mention that massive growth spurt) that scouts find Davis' most appealing quality—upside and lots of it. After all, Davis is still only 19 years old and might still be growing. As such, any deficiencies in his game can easily be explained away by his youth or masked by his overwhelming strengths.

Davis shot 1-of-10 from the field against Kansas in the national championship game? Then, let's focus on his 16 rebounds, six blocks, five assists and three steals (and rightfully so).

He wasn't even a go-to offensive option on his college team, with much of his scoring coming on put-backs? Consider the talent he played with—Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, Marquis Teague—all of whom figure to be first-round picks in this year's draft.

He struggles in the post? Well, he's still rail thin and should see a spike in his performance on the block once he grows into his gangly body and develops some strength in his legs.

His jump shot is iffy? He's 6'10"! What do you expect?

That last point, actually, deserves some scrutiny. Davis spent most of his basketball life as a guard, so one might expect him to be a more prolific ball-handler, jump shooter and distributor than he was during his days in Lexington.

This is where we find but one of many flash points for discussing and attempting to evaluate Davis' past, present and future performance. Did Davis not show off his full repertoire, the vestiges of his past life as a backcourt impresario, while at UK because the team didn't need him to? That'd make sense, considering the wealth of NBA talent John Calipari assembled around him.

Or, was it because those skills of his just were more rudimentary than we were led to believe? That'd make sense too, considering how sparsely recruited he was before shooting up like the stalks of bluegrass that once surrounded him in the Commonwealth.

It's the mystery surrounding Davis that makes him incredibly tantalizing and somewhat dangerous for those who would try to pin him down in some concrete way. Usually, scouts know everything there is to know about a kid coming into the draft, especially one slated to be the first player off the board on draft night.

But beyond his obvious physical gifts and the mental capacities of which there is some reliable gauge—his defensive instincts, his passion and intensity on the court, his perceived desire to work hard and improve—Davis is still equal parts basketball player and walking question mark, if only because he's so new on the radar.

In that sense, he's also as perfect as he is imperfect. At this point, he's no LeBron James, a near fully matured man-child with as well-rounded a skill set as that of any teenager who has ever turned pro.

But he might turn out to be something different, yet equally franchise-altering, simply because nobody (not even Davis himself) knows where his genes will take him.

He might be Marcus Camby, or someone better, like Bill Russell, or someone much worse, like Michael Olowokandi.

Or, maybe he'll be an entirely new and different breed of player—a big man who can defend and block shots anywhere on the floor, to say nothing of what might become of his offensive game.

The New Orleans Hornets, who own the No. 1 pick by way of the draft lottery, certainly won't expect Davis to be the "perfect" player right off the bat, even if they hope and pray that he will be. All they can reasonably ask of Davis is that he do everything in his power to actualize his considerable potential and become the player he's destined to be.

Whatever that may be.

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