Nerlens Noel to Kentucky: 5 Reasons He'll Struggle to Be the Next Anthony Davis

When Anthony Davis gets selected first overall in the 2012 NBA draft, he will become just the second Kentucky player in history (John Wall) to be chosen at No. 1.

John Calipari has another No. 1-ranked high school recruit coming in to replace him in Nerlens Noel.

Noel will be filling the massive shoes of Davis, both literally and figuratively. Will he be able to live up to that challenge and such high expectations?

Younger Kentucky fans, along with Calipari, have finally tasted that sweet, sweet flavor of the NCAA title, and their expectations are higher than ever.

Amid all the NFL draft content this week, take a breather and enjoy some round-ball talk, and get to know the reasons Noel will find it difficult to emulate Davis' play.

Pure Talent

Anthony Davis could immediately become a top-five NBA center.

Though the talk of the Wildcats beating the Washington Wizards or Charlotte Bobcats was asinine, the fact remains that Davis may be the best player on the court in either of those hypothetical games.

Davis' talent comes from earlier in his high school career. He has all the characteristics of a guard because, well, he was a guard in his formative basketball years.

Davis' growth spurts were rampant during his high school career. He started at Perspectives Charter School as a sub-6' 0" freshman. He graduated a 6'10" monster.

The biggest part of his game that he owes to his early career is his hands. As a guard in a center's body, Davis has abilities on the perimeter and putting the ball on the ground in the post that Nerlens Noel simply doesn't have yet. 

Confidence

The old cliche is to never let confidence become cockiness. Anthony Davis is a poster child for that adage.

Davis showed excessive confidence when declaring his intent to attend the University of Kentucky before his senior season in high school. However, in doing this, Davis also showed a certain humility.

By committing so early, it was more about respect for the coach and institution than himself. He realized this was his best option and locked it down.

Nerlens Noel, on the other hand, waited and waited and then waited some more before picking his school. Instead of exuding confidence, Noel's actions showed the cockiness of youth.

By waiting until the last minute to sign his national letter of intent, Noel made it all about him and not Kentucky. That cockiness could lead to struggles during his career at UK.

Underdog Quality

I know you are thinking that "underdog" and Anthony Davis don't mix. However, give me an abnormally long NCAA shot clock to explain myself.

Davis became the No. 1 high school recruit, yes. His road to get there, though, was not a given.

He played in a public high school league, not the exclusive Tilton School in New Hampshire, where Nerlens Noel competed.

Taking nothing away from Tilton or Noel, as they are both great, there isn't much underdog incentive or hunger when you are recognized on a national level almost to excess. This quote from the Chicago Sun Times reinforces my point:

"

The Chicago Sun-Times covered nearly 700 boys high school basketball games last season. Anthony Davis, who just might be the best high school player in the country, didn't play in any of them.

"

Davis earned his TV time the old-fashioned way, by grinding out losses for a no-name school in Chicago before jumping on the AAU bandwagon. Noel has been on scouts' radars for an eternity. 

Coach John Calipari

Up until a few weeks ago, the knock on John Calipari has always been "great recruiter, mediocre coach."

Cal finally got the monkey off his back in the 2012 NCAA Championship Game. He won a national title and has now earned some respect as a coach.

The issue with Calipari is that he recruits for one-year players, which we've heard ad nauseam for the past 10 years.

There is still some doubt as to how much Cal can coach. He won the title with five kids who will probably go in the first round of the NBA draft this summer. The chances are very good that he won't have that again this winter.

With Nerlens Noel, he is going to have to coach.

Noel doesn't have the well-rounded game that Anthony Davis has, so it will be up to his coach to work on his back-to-the-basket game and his hands. If left alone, there is no way Noel can emulate the success that Davis had.

Some responsibility must lie on his teachers.

The Bare Cupboard

While John Calipari does have four highly ranked recruits coming in, he is also losing seven players.

In fact, Calipari's six best players from the 2012 national championship will be moving on from Kentucky this summer.

Losing your starting five, in particular, is tough for any coach. Calipari is going to come in and try to defend a national title with an entirely new roster, and Nerlens Noel will be at the center of that rebuilding.

Noel will have almost no one to lean on in his freshman season. When Anthony Davis entered Lexington, he at least had Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones to guide him, as they were sophomores under Calipari.

Noel will have to learn on his own while also trying to lead an entirely new starting five.

The fact that Noel is all on his own next season may be the biggest factor in his struggle to fill out Davis' size 17s.