7 NBA Rookies on the Verge of Superstardom

This year's top-heavy draft class has already produced a handful of stars that are destined to be perennial All-Star players.  From the obvious one, No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis, down through the lottery, there are a number of guys who should be able to make an impact from day one.

With the season due to begin, it's time to look at seven guys who have received mass attention around the league as we prepare to see a draft class that could be the best since 2003 in action.  The NBA comparisons for many in this draft class were lofty, with scouts not hesitating to compare guys like Bradley Beal to Ray Allen or Anthony Davis to Marcus Camby. 

Superlatives surround almost all the premier players in this class, and while that may not be the best indicator of a draft's strength, the upside for the seven players mentioned here is significant—even legendary. 

This draft class could yield multiple Hall of Famers.

Andre Drummond

Andre Drummond has the potential to be either the next Dwight Howard or the next Kwame Brown, without the pressure of being a No. 1 pick as both D12 and Kwame were.  Drummond doesn't have the bar set sky high as a No. 9 overall selection, though at one point, he was projected to go first or second overall. 

After a lackluster season at UConn last year, Drummond fell to the Pistons.  GM Joe Dumars liked the idea of pairing Drummond with Georgetown big man Greg Monroe.  The two twin towers could combine to be a true force in the Eastern Conference for years to come. 

Initially, there was speculation by some that Drummond would be sent to the D-League so he could get some seasoning, in the same manner that the Memphis Grizzlies did with (another UConn player) Hasheem Thabeet. 

Drummond, so far, has shown enough promise that scouts think he could be an NBA-ready forward already.  His impact and learning curve will still be slowed because NBA bigs take time to adjust and learn how to stay out of foul trouble.  If Drummond can pick things up quickly, his physical talents could make him a force for a long time.

He's remained humble, too, regarding his big games and the near-certainty that he'll receive playing time right off the bat.

"I wouldn't call it success.  I would just call it a new stepping stone for my growth as a player.  The success that I've had so far is just the ground floor for me right now.  I need to build and get better every day.  I'm not really satisfied at all," Drummond told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.

Drummond has posted 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in six preseason games with the Pistons.

We are going to call it "pre" success, and it would certainly be a story if the 19-year-old Drummond found a way to secure the Rookie of the Year award after initial worries he wouldn't immediately be mature enough for the NBA.  It's a long shot, but stranger things have happened. 

Thomas Robinson

Thomas Robinson came prominently to the stage in the NCAA tournament last March, and since then, the hype has been widespread.  After rising up for a put-back dunk over three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard, those expectations have only continued to rise.

Robinson is hard to keep off the boards and has a 35.5" max vertical leap according to Draft Express.  Robinson also possess a 7'3" wingspan which allows him to play much bigger than 6'9".  Last year at Kansas, he averaged 11.9 rebounds per game to go with his 17.7 points. 

He's on the right team, too, surrounded by a host of young talent in Sacramento that has Kings fans feeling their team could be a sleeper in the Western Conference.

Robinson and Kentucky product DeMarcus Cousins could pair nicely; and Tyreke Evans, the diminutive Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Thornton round out a nice starting five.  The Kings also have some talent coming off the bench in former Rocket Aaron Brooks, BYU legend Jimmer Fredette, power forward Jason Thompson and versatile defender James Johnson.

The Kings have the talent to come together to be a formidable team, but it will require some time still as their young talent matures.  They haven't thrown in the towel on Fredette yet and feel he will eventually help the interior of Robinson and Cousins thrive further. 

They also want Evans to return to the form he had as a rookie, when he became only the fourth NBA rookie ever to average 20/5/5.  If the Kings can maximize the talents of their perimeter players, it will render Cousins and Robinson in a favorable situation to clean up the mess and get easy looks around the rim. 

Robinson's upside should be likened to a young Elton Brand and he should be able to play both forward spots in the NBA, as a much quicker version of Brand.  At just 21 years of age, Robinson comes in young enough to build around, but mature enough to be labelled "NBA-ready."

Damian Lillard

Many feel that if the draft were redone today, with what we know now, that Damian Lillard would be a Top Three pick, possibly going No. 2 overall behind Anthony Davis.

Lillard is said to have franchise talent and already appears to be far better than what Draft Express stated his original upside was, comparing him to George Hill of the Indiana Pacers leading up to the draft. 

Six of the 30 GMs in the league picked Lillard to win the Rookie of the Year over Anthony Davis.  No other player received more votes than Lillard to take the award away from Davis, the heavy favorite.

Portland feels confident that pairing Lillard with LaMarcus Aldridge will return the team to contention, and the "off-limits" label has already been applied to his file in the Portland brass' filing cabinet.  Lillard is in the driver's seat, and on the wings, he has Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum to fill the lanes. 

The Trail Blazers may surprise some people this year because it seems like most fans and analysts have relegated them to the role of a lottery-bound team. 

While they likely will end up back in the lottery, they still should win at least 36 games under the leadership of Lillard in an extremely competitive Western Conference.  He's averaged the 11th-highest assists per game thus far in the preseason with six assists per night, while scoring 17 points per game and posting a PER of 16.80.  He's also been lights-out from three, nailing 40 percent of his treys.

Bradley Beal

Bradley Beal has been compared to Ray Allen dating back to his high school years, but lately, scouts have said he projects to be a lot more like Dwyane Wade than Allen.

For the Washington Wizards' sake, let's hope he is half as good as either, because Wade and Allen are both Hall of Famers.  Is Beal a Hall of Fame talent or just a mirage?

He can shoot the ball, but John Hollinger of ESPN (subscription required) feels that ability has been overstated, and further, that some of his better attributes are his ability to get the ball to the hole and finish strongly.  Those gifts could allow Beal to thrive at shooting guard, despite being slightly undersized for the position. 

Beal will pair nicely with John Wall for the foreseeable future, and the Wizards have a lot more going for them than most people seem to realize. 

With Jordan Crawford backing up Wall and Beal, the Wiz have a great three-guard rotation to complement strong interior defenders that strengthen an above-average defense.  Beal will be given every opportunity to prove he belongs with Wall in Washington's backcourt of the future.

Harrison Barnes

The idea that Harrison Barnes could be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft was thrown around prior to the beginning of the 2011-12 NCAA season.  Barnes, however, never really did progress from the year prior.

He and the Tar Heels still had the best front-line in the ACC with Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller, but Barnes never revealed that he had that franchise-level talent.  Barnes' stock dropped slightly from late autumn up until the draft, which allowed him to fall into the lap of the Golden State Warriors at No. 7 overall.

Barnes has drawn some comparisons to a young Jamal Mashburn, which is an apt assessment.  His speed and strength blend well together, and he's big and physical enough to give opposing small forwards a lot of problems defensively.  The Warriors are also the perfect team for Barnes, who will fit seamlessly into their fast-break offense. 

With Stephen Curry's ankle on the fritz and Andrew Bogut still unable to go, Barnes is going to have every opportunity to put up some shots this year. 

Klay Thompson and Barnes could be the main two staples of the Warriors' perimeter offense, with David Lee doing the dirty work on the inside, if the Warriors play sans Bogut and Curry.  Expect Barnes to be starting by Christmas, if not sooner, as he has more talent than both Brandon Rush and Richard Jefferson at this point in their respective careers.

ESPN Depth Charts now feature Barnes as the starting small forward, as he started for the third straight preseason game on Wednesday.  Head coach Mark Jackson hasn't yet declared him the starter, but Rush just doesn't offer the same long-term upside, so why not just play the better player now?

"They are both going to play, so it doesn't matter who starts," Jackson said of Rush and Barnes. 

Whether or not Barnes starts may not matter because he'll be given his chance to shine either way.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist showed a lot of versatility in the NCAA tournament in March and looked like the kind of multidimensional threat that could thrive at the next level.  The Charlotte Bobcats felt confident his talents could translate to the NBA and selected him No. 2 overall in the 2012 draft. 

The comparison most appropriate for Kidd-Gilchrist is Tyreke Evans with greater upside. 

That can be viewed a number of ways: If MKG has the talent to be as good as Evans as a rookie, will he develop further since he is only 19?  Can he avoid falling victim to the same curse as other rookies on really poor teams, allowing the losing to affect his development? 

These are questions that would have to be asked of any future Bobcat franchise player.

If Kidd-Gilchrist can adapt and put up a line of 15 points and 6.5 rebounds and play solid defense, he would be the Bobcats' best player. 

Gerald Henderson is a fine player—for a role player—but can't be a team's best player.  MKG should be the kind of talent that can attract some double-teams, create for teammates and draw more fans. 

He's exactly what the Bobcats need this year, and if the Cats can get Kemba Walker doing his thing offensively and looking aggressively for his shot (something Walker doesn't usually have trouble with), they could be a little better than horrible.  That would be consolation enough for Charlotte faithful right now.

Mike Prada of SB Nation writes that hiring Mike Dunlap was the perfect move for the Bobcats because his full-court-press defense will place a Scottie Pippen-like role upon the shoulders of Kidd-Gilchrist, who has the potential to be a top-tier defender in addition to the fact he can score.  Prada feels the Bobcats can be better than expected if the trapping defense is effective, and if it's not; nothing ventured, nothing lost.

Kidd-Gilchrist will eventually get some more help in the starting lineup, as the Bobcats are almost certainly lottery bound again.  Perhaps if the Cats were able to snag Nerlens Noel of Kentucky or Cody Zeller of Indiana, and pair whichever big man with Kidd-Gilchrist, Walker and a host of shooters, the team could make some waves. 

The Bobcats will have a chance at that No. 1 overall pick next year, and it's never too early to think about whom Kidd-Gilchrist will pair up with.  As to whether or not he himself is a true franchise player or just an excellent sidekick for the No. 1 option of the future, this year will only begin to tell the tale, as MKG has many years left ahead of him, provided he stays healthy.

Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis is the favorite for Rookie of the Year and has been the first "sweepstakes" player in a draft since LeBron James in 2003.  The matter of whether he can live up to that hype or not is just too premature to argue over. 

The expectations of a rapid turnaround for the New Orleans Hornets are just not fair to Davis, or to his teammates. 

It's going to take a while to bring the Hornets back to the playoffs, but after failing to get over the hump with Chris Paul, many Hornets fans are ready to give Davis every chance in the world to make it his organization.

For a man strange enough to trademark a unibrow, Davis has the talent to become a franchise player.  His length and athleticism make him a specimen, while his coordination makes him a talent.  He's not a big stiff, at all. 

Kentucky head coach John Calipari called Davis the best shot-blocker of the last 20 years in the NCAA.  Calipari coached Marcus Camby and said that he and Davis were very similar, that they both grew from 6'2" to 6'10" while in high school, allowing a lot of guard-like coordination to persist even though they were big men by the time they turned 18. 

John Calipari's scout, Kenny Payne, who was responsible for finding Camby back in the early 1990s, texted him when he saw Anthony Davis: "I found you another…but he can shoot."

Is Davis as good as Camby defensively, but twice the offensive talent? 

We'll see Davis playing the 4-spot as his body matures and prepares for the rigors of playing center.  Dwight Howard did the same thing in his first two seasons with the Orlando Magic.  After three seasons of maturation, Davis could be on the same level as Andrew Bynum and Howard and be in the discussion of the best center in the NBA.