Anthony Davis: Breaking Down the Best and Worst of Rookie's Game

The 2012 NBA Draft is still two days away, but the suspense surrounding who will be taken with the first overall pick ended last month.

From the moment the New Orleans Hornets received the first pick in this year’s draft, former University of Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis has known where his professional career will begin.

After leading the Wildcats to an NCAA title, Davis, as well as the team’s four other starters from last season, declared for the NBA Draft.

However, it is Davis who will hear his name called first when the commissioner stands at the podium on Thursday night.

But that doesn’t mean that his game is at a point where he can rise to elite status from day one in the league.

When breaking down Davis’ game, the first aspect that jumps out is his size.  At 6’10”, Davis’ rebounding ability may be one of the best areas of his game as he enters the NBA.  In 40 games last season, Davis had 17 double-doubles leading up to the NCAA tournament, and three more during the tournament.  On the season, he averaged 10.4 rebounds per game.

Davis also had 13 games in which he had 12 rebounds or more.

But what makes his rebounding numbers even more impressive is the fact that, just a couple years before winning an NCAA title while playing in the Wildcats’ frontcourt, Davis was a 6’3” guard in high school.

In an article by Dave Telep that appeared on ESPN.com in December of 2010, Davis sounded as if he didn’t mind adjusting his game to play as a frontcourt presence.

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“It makes the game a whole lot easier,” he said.  “Rebounding, blocking shots and shooting over guys.  If you’re 6-3, when you go in the hole you’re going over guys and getting your shot blocked.  When you’re 6-10, you can go up and dunk on someone.  To also have the ability to shoot the ball, I’d rather be 6-10.”

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Well, his play at times last season sure made it seem like the game came easily to him.

However, the final two areas that Davis touched on, dunking on someone and having a dominant presence in the post, and shooting the ball, are also the two areas of his game that need the most work.

A recent article by Jonathan Givony on draftexpress.com talks about Davis’ size and game play in the post.

At just over 220 pounds, Davis must continue to add muscle if he wants to establish a dominant presence in the post against players who have 20-60 pounds on him.  Furthermore, the article says that 13.5 percent of Davis’ possessions last season came on post-ups, which, in addition to his size, means that situations in which his back is to the basket could be areas in need of improvement once he enters the league.

Givony’s article also says that, although Davis attempted a great deal of jump shots last season, his success rate leaves room for improvement going forward.

However, these areas in need of improvement will not come close to scaring off the Hornets from taking him with the No. 1 overall pick to begin building a team with hopes of soon becoming a contender in the Western Conference.

Although he still possesses skills that are characteristic of players much smaller, Davis has also seemingly mastered some of the key skills that post players need in order to find success.

While Davis had 13 games of 12 rebounds or more, he also had 19 games in which he blocked five or more shots.

In just his seventh career regular season game at Kentucky, Davis turned in 15 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocked shots.

On the season, Davis averaged 14.2 points and over four blocks per game, while posting a 62.3 percent field-goal percentage.  His blocks per game average was the best in Division I men’s basketball last season.

A 6’10” prospect that possesses the skill set of both a frontcourt player and a guard?

Check.

A prospect who has already proven that he is able to adapt his game to a different playing level, both personally and within the team environment?

Check.

A prospect that won a national title during his first season in college?

Check.

Between his motor on the court and his shot-blocking and rebounding ability, Davis has established himself as the best talent in this year’s draft.

And, fortunately for the Hornets, his game still shows areas with room for improvement, meaning that Davis has not even reached his full potential as of yet.

The NBA draft allows for teams to either further remove themselves from last season’s failures or to improve on last season’s success.

For the New Orleans Hornets, the NBA draft is about to provide a great deal of optimism for the team going forward.