Will Anthony Davis be a bust?

[Quotable]

I personally like him alot and think he could be the next KG but if I step back for a minute he has a few characteristics that I usually look for in a bust. He's extremely physically underdeveloped, he doesn't have a true position (3/4 tweener), won't be a threat from the low post for several years, and he played for an elite college that masked some of these weaknesses.

Again I think he's great but also just objectively speaking he's one of the riskier #1 overall's we're going to have had in a few seasons ~

[Joshumitsu]

Dwight Howard was expected by some, including himself, to play power forward when he first came into the league. But his skillset, size, and potential was so high, he was taken first over a safe, NBA Ready player in Emeka.

I see Davis following a similar route. He might never have a great offense but his defense, coordination, and athleticism will allow him to achieve success.

So, there's a chance he could still be a bust but that is unlikely.

Unless he's drafted by the Portland Trailblazers. Because the moment he arrives and breaths our air, eats, and drinks the water here, he will become doomed to knee injuries.

[mobbdeep]

of course he can be a bust. ESPN magazine had a good article about him and how some say he can be a bust while others say he won't as long as he can block shots and defend

they said he can be a Marcus Camby type

[rufuspaul]

Unless he's drafted by the Portland Trailblazers. Because the moment he arrives and breaths our air, eats, and drinks the water here, he will become doomed to knee injuries.

:oldlol:

[steve]

of course he can be a bust. ESPN magazine had a good article about him and how some say he can be a bust while others say he won't as long as he can block shots and defend

they said he can be a Marcus Camby type

Yeah, that was my first thought. If you consider Marcus Camby a bust (a 2nd overall pick) then Davis very much could be a "bust." Of course if he does turn out to be a Camby type player, then he'll still be a productive player for his entire career.

[senelcoolidge]

He could be a bust, but I doubt it. I think he could at least be a solid player. Not a strong offensive player, but solid defender. Think Joe Smith or Marcus Camby. No super star. But you never know he might be a hard worker and really make something great of himself.

[fatboy11]

Anyone can be a bust.

[Rameek]

if you cant pinpoint his skillset then definitely he could be a bust.

[Big_Dogg]

He seems more like a Serge Ibaka than a KG to me as he is more of a defensive presence than an offensive threat, until he develops some go to low post moves (ie a hook shot like Dwight has got now) and some sort of mid range game.

If he ever turns out as skilled as KG I'd be surprised, but that size, length and athleticism gives him a good base to work on his game to achieve that level.

[ukfan22]

He seems more like a Serge Ibaka than a KG to me as he is more of a defensive presence than an offensive threat, until he develops some go to low post moves (ie a hook shot like Dwight has got now) and some sort of mid range game.

If he ever turns out as skilled as KG I'd be surprised, but that size, length and athleticism gives him a good base to work on his game to achieve that level.

but he has post moves, the jump hook and a midrange game

[LBJMVP]

i dont think he will be a bust, but i dont think he will live up to the hype.

these scouts must know something about him that we don't cause i dont really see how he is a clear cut number 1.

i know i watched his high school video and he was hitting jumpshots, and step back threes with ease, and going coast to coast with what looked like great ball handling, but that was high school.

he must have a very good jumpshot or somthing and great ball handling.

[Meticode]

Anything is possible.

[MetsPackers]

Poor mans Tyler Hansborough

[Kiddlovesnets]

If Greg Oden can be a bust, anyone can. There is not a single thing known as guaranteed future superstar in NBA, draftees have to play hard and stay healthy.

[Thorpesaurous]

This thread on David Falk describing this as a one player draft has a lot of similar dialogue.

I guess it's sort of a semantic argument about what a bust is and isn't. I'm more focused on what he is as a prospect. Would you take Davis this prospect over Oden the prospect, not knowing what you know now about Oden's physical defects, but just as prospects coming out? I wouldn't have.

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=263587

[ILLsmak]

He's not gonna be a bust, but I think people are expecting him to do great things. They are like, "He'll be an all star his first year then a superstar his second." It's like woah now. Is this really an all-nba talent? To me, not even close. Maybe all D first.

He's going to be a good starter; he'll get paid for his second contract, but him being a franchise savior is laughable to me.

-Smak

[Da KO King]

I don't like Davis as #1 overall.

My NBA team-building/draft philosophy is "never draft a one-way prospect with the top pick." I feel like with that pick you HAVE to grab a guy that is NOT a mismatch on the defensive end when facing elite players and can be a part of your offensive philosophy from day one.

I do not have a issue with Davis being ranked as the top prospect. Davis has shown flashes of offensive potential, and will be a factor as a help defender immediately.

Still because of my philosophy and how high the rest of the league is on him I'd trade out of the top slot if I was New Orleans.

[rufuspaul]

If Greg Oden can be a bust, anyone can. There is not a single thing known as guaranteed future superstar in NBA, draftees have to play hard and stay healthy.


This. The entire draft is a calculated crap shoot.

[RRR3]

No

[KiiiiNG]

He's not gonna be a bust, but I think people are expecting him to do great things. They are like, "He'll be an all star his first year then a superstar his second." It's like woah now. Is this really an all-nba talent? To me, not even close. Maybe all D first.

He's going to be a good starter; he'll get paid for his second contract, but him being a franchise savior is laughable to me.

-Smak
still laughable you dumb son of a bitch?

[Da KO King]

I don't like Davis as #1 overall.

My NBA team-building/draft philosophy is "never draft a one-way prospect with the top pick." I feel like with that pick you HAVE to grab a guy that is NOT a mismatch on the defensive end when facing elite players and can be a part of your offensive philosophy from day one.

I do not have a issue with Davis being ranked as the top prospect. Davis has shown flashes of offensive potential, and will be a factor as a help defender immediately.

Still because of my philosophy and how high the rest of the league is on him I'd trade out of the top slot if I was New Orleans.
I know none of you care but I feel like sharing.....

I now scout on a freelance basis. Will be opening a full scouting service in 2017. This post is what made me change my approach to scouting.

I made this post after having watched a handful of Kentucky games. Most while in bars, some while listening to music. So I never realized that Davis had only been 6'9" for a little over a year.

Despite having basketball contacts in Chicago I never contacted any of them, so I wasn't aware that he was viewed as a probable All-City candidate when he was a 6'3" shooting guard.

I made my evaluation without even attempting to get all the info available on the prospect.

If any of you is interested in becoming a pro scout I will tell you now that it is not solely about the basketball evaluations. You need to go get every single piece of info that is out there.

[Jailblazers7]

Yeah, I would imagine that half the reasons scouts get paid is their network. Cultivating resources and collecting unmeasurable data is a huge advantage in every industry.

But it's a shame that Davis is going to rot in NO. He was compared to KG out of college and his career path looks similar. I bet he plays out the contract in NO and they have a semi-title contending team at the tail end of the contract on his shoulders but he will have to leave to win.

[Thorpesaurous]

I know none of you care but I feel like sharing.....

I now scout on a freelance basis. Will be opening a full scouting service in 2017. This post is what made me change my approach to scouting.

I made this post after having watched a handful of Kentucky games. Most while in bars, some while listening to music. So I never realized that Davis had only been 6'9" for a little over a year.

Despite having basketball contacts in Chicago I never contacted any of them, so I wasn't aware that he was viewed as a probable All-City candidate when he was a 6'3" shooting guard.

I made my evaluation without even attempting to get all the info available on the prospect.

If any of you is interested in becoming a pro scout I will tell you now that it is not solely about the basketball evaluations. You need to go get every single piece of info that is out there.

Congrats and best of luck. I say that all the time about evaluations. Sometimes you have to take what you read more importantly than what you see, because for the laymen, that's as close as you're going to get to having real inside info, and then you have to filter that through other stuff, like Calipari is a guy who will blow smoke about his guys to help him recruit further, while other coaches seem to be more honest about their prospects.

[Thorpesaurous]

Yeah, I would imagine that half the reasons scouts get paid is their network. Cultivating resources and collecting unmeasurable data is a huge advantage in every industry.

But it's a shame that Davis is going to rot in NO. He was compared to KG out of college and his career path looks similar. I bet he plays out the contract in NO and they have a semi-title contending team at the tail end of the contract on his shoulders but he will have to leave to win.

His track reminds me a little of Lebron's in Cleveland, when they decided to try to surround him with good but not great pieces to give the illusion of contending, when what they actually did was hamstring themselves from getting the real supporting cast they needed, which includes having a roster with cheap rookie deals that function, which is why I found it odd Lebron was so quick to give up on the Wiggins pick coming back to Cleveland.


And now that he's claimed he's been playing with a labrum that requires surgery, along with the rest of the spate of injuries this team has had, it seems like they'd need to really have a look at their training staff. And to me, that's the type of thing that could get a guy like Davis to walk, because the money is going to be similar everywhere, so the stuff the franchise does beyond that really matters.

[DeuceWallaces]

This thread is pretty funny.

I like DA KO King, but it's pretty embarrassing to not know any of that stuff if you'd even consider being a scout. I mean, if you had watched a single UK game on ESPN or CBS you would have known all of that, because it was discussed ad nauseum before he even got to campus.