Kentucky's Anthony Davis Is a Sure-Fire No. 1 Pick: Will He Pan out in the NBA?

Last night, the Kentucky Wildcats won their first National Championship since 1998.

Kentucky freshman forward Anthony Davis is the Player of the Year, and he proved it all tournament long. In the championship game against Kansas, the youngster only scored six points but managed to dominate the game.

Davis piled up 16 rebounds, five assists, and six blocks. Seemingly any time the Jayhawks penetrated the lane, Davis was there to block or affect a shot. 

While Davis is a super-talent, is he NBA material? Many analysts have thrown around a lot of comparisons. Everyone from Bill Russell to Charles Barkley. I think most of these comparisons are entirely premature, but one does jump to my mind.

Dwight Howard came to the NBA right out of high school, and his body was a lot like Davis's. Those incredibly wide shoulders and the wiry frame are pretty similar. Obviously it took Howard five years to become a dominant player, and it may take Davis around the same. 

Davis was a 6'3" guard no more than a year and a half ago. He grew seven inches seemingly overnight. Kentucky head coach John Calipari is a great coach, but in this case he is a lucky coach as well. He recruited this kid to be a guard, and saw his lottery ticket scratch three aces in one year's time.

Davis has the frailty of a guard, but he also has the nimbleness and quickness of one. With time, he will fill out and get stronger. He will never be an NBA center, he is more of a long three or a four. His success at the next level will be greatly impacted by which team drafts him. 

He will need the right system in order to be successful right away. In the NBA, he will be pushed over by every other forward he plays. He needs to be coached the right way and led in the correct direction. His athleticism should allow him to adapt to whatever role his future NBA team might need.

Davis will most likely go No.1 overall in this year's draft, provided he enters it. Teams drafting the No.1 pick are looking for an immediate difference maker.

Davis will be a project.

His talent level is elite, but his skill set as a power forward is lacking. 

Taking Davis means you are willing to let him develop for a few seasons before expecting him to be an All-Star. I don't think Davis will be a bust, but don't expect him to step in and be dominant, or anything close really, until he hits year four or five. 

Something else than can't be overlooked is that Davis is an all-around good kid. He does well in class, and he is by all accounts, a phenomenal teammate. Plenty of top picks have been busts because of their bad attitudes, poor work ethics, and prima donna personalities: Joe Barry Carroll, Kent Benson, Michael Olowokandi, Kwame Brown, etc. etc.

The blocked shots and the defense will be there, but offensively he will be lost. With the right coaching staff around him, he should develop into a solid NBA player, perhaps even a star one day.