Anthony Davis: How Much Offensive Impact Will the UK Product Make as a Rookie?

Anthony Davis and his unibrow are all but guaranteed to be picked first overall in the 2012 NBA draft and join the New Orleans Hornets. Once there, he's expected to make a huge impact during his rookie season and compete not only for Rookie of the Year, but also a spot in the postseason. 

His biggest strength comes on the defensive end of the court, an area that Davis somehow manages to glamorize thanks to his never-ending highlight reel of rejections. When opposing players venture into Davis' domain, they tend to leave with basketball imprints in between their eyebrows. 

So, we know that Davis is a defensive stud, but how much of an impact will he make on offense as a rookie? 

Post Moves

Although this is the area—other than building strength—where Davis has to do the most work to become a true, well-rounded superstar, this may also be one of the most underrated aspects of his game. 

Throughout his freshman season at Lexington only 20 percent of the power forward's offensive output came from post-ups and isolation plays. Of course, this makes sense when you remember that he's still recovering from the growth spurt that forced a transition from point guard to big man in no time at all.

Davis showed a constant desire to improve his post game throughout the year and that effort was apparent if you monitored his progress on the block from start to finish. Whereas Davis wouldn't even attempt a move at the beginning of his first year at the collegiate level, he was spinning and hitting jump hooks with ease during March Madness.

The Unibrow has displayed some tantalizing footwork, even if he does have a long way to go in this area. And of course, his proficiency on the offensive glass only adds to his skill down low.

Jumper

Big men aren't necessarily supposed to be able to hit jumpers from the outside, but Davis has shown the form and drive to add that type of shot to his offensive repertoire. 

Davis had a smooth mid-range jumper all season long, even if he didn't utilize it much thanks to the offensive presence of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, Marquis Teague and Darius Miller. He was asked to remain on the block and in the paint to better utilize his nose for the boards on the offensive end. 

When Davis did venture to the perimeter near the end of the season, he even managed to drain a couple of shots from downtown, giving him more and more confidence to let the triples fly. 

He made only three of the shots he attempted from behind the three-point arc, but all of them came during the very end of conference play and during the SEC tournament. With the small sample size caveat in effect, I'd venture to say that his shooting from the outside showed improvement in that regard.

With the possibility of developing a consistent outside shot thanks to his form, desire and free-throw shooting ability (70.9 percent on the season), the Hornets can reasonably hope that he'll develop into a scoring threat outside the paint. 

Passing

Even though it often goes unnoticed in big men—part of the reason that players like Greg Monroe are so underrated—passing is an important facet of the offensive game. 

Most likely remaining with him after his transition from point guard to shot-blocker, passing skills are still ever-present in this big man's game. He averaged 1.3 assists per game while turning the ball over only a single time per contest as a freshman, but those numbers don't truly indicate Davis' skill in this respect. 

His assist-making talents rose to a new level during the postseason, coinciding with his journey out onto the perimeter. Davis' move from the paint allowed new passing lanes to open for his teammates, and he hit them with remarkable ease for a 6'10" defensive-oriented freshman. 

Overall

Davis won't light it up on offense during his rookie season with the Hornets, but he also won't be a liability on that end. 

As he develops, his scoring average will creep higher and higher, especially as he builds strength and grows into his frame. Expect about 12 points per game on efficient shooting during the first season. 

Moreover, Davis won't turn the ball over and will be able to pass the ball out to the perimeter and to cutting guards, a skill that allows the ball to stay in his hands slightly more often. 

If Davis wins Rookie of the Year, it won't only be because of his defense.