Nerlens Noel: Newest Kentucky Star Won't Match Impact of Anthony Davis

Now that elite recruit Nerlens Noel has officially decided to sign with Kentucky, he'll undoubtedly get compared to NBA-bound former Wildcats center Anthony Davis. Even though Noel will become a star in his own right, he won't be able to match his predecessor's impact.

Davis was a dominant force on both ends of the court. He averaged 14 points, 10 rebounds and an eye-popping five blocks per game. He shot 62 percent from the field and, unlikely many big men, wasn't a liability at the free-throw line.

Most importantly, he led the Wildcats to a national championship and took a huge monkey off of the back of head coach John Calipari in the process. He helped prove that the one-and-done approach of building a college basketball team can be successful.

All of those accomplishments simply add to the amount of pressure on Noel heading into next season. He'll be expected to make a seamless transition to the college game in order to replace Davis right away, and that's a tall task to say the least.

He should have no problem making his presence felt on the defensive end right away. He's got a rare combination of size and athleticism, which will allow him to control the paint by altering a bunch of shots.

His offensive game isn't as well developed, however. It's going to take a few months before he starts to find a rhythm. Since he doesn't have the same amount of sheer power that Davis had, teams will force him away from the paint as much as possible. That means that he'll need to develop his mid-range game, which has been a work in progress. Until then, however, most of his points will come from transition dunks and offensive rebounds.

While individual expectations will obviously be high, those for the team will be through the roof. After fans get to taste championship glory, they tend to get greedy. So, Noel and his new teammates will be looking at a title-or-bust season.

They should be in the mix, but it's hard to imagine them dominating all season long like Davis' crew did. Every time it seemed like a little adversity would knock them off track, they would bounce back right away.

It's not as easy as they made it look. Every team in the nation will be looking to knock Kentucky off of its pedestal in the team's new role as public enemy No. 1.

Noel will have a very successful year and shouldn't do any damage to his NBA draft stock, but don't go overboard and think he'll be able to replicate Davis' magical season.