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Davis vs. Drummond: One Superstar and One JABGUY

Discussion in 'NBA Draft' started by jopatmc, Apr 25, 2012.

  1. jopatmc

    jopatmc Contributing Member

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    Anthony Davis is a superstar. No doubt about it. Andre Drummond is a JABGuy. That's right. Just another big guy. The differences between them provide a sharp contrast that you can't help but notice when you stack them against one another.

    Let's start with on the court skill sets. We all know they big fellas. They got length, they athletic as all get out. They long, etc. But how do they play on the court?

    One thing about big men that I have noticed that you may want to consider in evaluating youngsters. If they can't shoot free throws, they'd better be totally dominant in the other facets of the game. Because they have to be so dominant that coach can keep them on the floor in crunch time. If they are not totally dominant defensively and/or offensively dominant like Shaq, then they essentially become a part time player in the most crucial moments of ball games. That's why a guy that was as dominant as Shaq could play in crunch time when he was young but as he aged and his FT shooting didn't improve, he became a part-time player. So, a big man has to be able to shoot the freebies or he had better be totally dominant defensively.

    Anthony Davis - 70% FT shooter. The man has touch. You can see it. He's not a liability on the line. He won't have to be taken out in crunch time.

    Andre Drummond - below 30% FT shooter. What does that tell you? He didn't improve this area of his game at all. Sure, he's young. But let's be realistic. 30% Do you really think this guy is EVER going to be a 70% FT shooter?? After he gets to the NBA and is being paid megabucks?? The odds of that happening are slim and none.

    So is Drummond dominating enough to stay on the court in spite of his poor FT shooting? The answer is a definitive NO! First of all, it's going to take him several years of maturation just to stay on the court for extended minutes in the NBA without winding up in foul trouble. He pulled down a measly 7.6 boards a game in college where he should have been bigger and stronger than most of the other guys on the court. He scored a whopping 10 points on about 9 shots. Now, he's going to the big leagues to play with the big boys. Do you see domination there? NOPE!

    Anthony Davis by contrast.....he can stroke the free throws, he is the most dominant paint defender to come into the league since Deke. He got 14/10 as a freshman with almost 5 blocks per game, playing against the very best college players. Those are Shaq's freshman numbers at LSU.

    Now, the next contrast between these two....listen to them talk. Just pull up interviews and listen to these two guys talk. Drummond...talks about playing football and just "hanging out" if he wasn't playing basketball. Anthony Davis describes the intricacies of his game, how he blocks shots, how he recovers, how he dupes shooters into thinking he's flat-footed and can't recover. Davis is a student of the game. Drummond is just a big, athletic kid that has gotten by with being physically bigger, stronger, and more athletic than his mostly inferior competition.

    There's really no comparison between these two:

    1. Skill level - Davis dominates
    2. Work ethic and drive - Davis dominates
    3. BBall IQ and accumen - Davis dominates

    Which player is going to grow their game the most and become a superstar? No question, Davis. Drummond will be JABGuy with a chance to become decent to good 4-5 years from now. By that time, the contrast between Davis and Drummond will be so great it will be noticable to even the casual fan.

    Whoever drafts Drummond high in the lottery doesn't know what they are doing. Let's see if he drops or if some idiot GM takes him high.
     
  2. jayhow92

    jayhow92 Member

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    he's going to get gms fired. nowhere close to ready.
     
  3. A_3PO

    A_3PO Member

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    All a person has to do is take some time and look at several high school highlights of Anthony Davis. He can dribble, shoot, pass and is athletic. You can see where he's headed. For the sake of the team, Cal kept him in a box at Kentucky and he rarely displayed his full capabilities.

    Davis will be a franchise PF in the NBA. Drummond might be another Kwame or Kandi Man.
     
  4. plutoblue11

    plutoblue11 Member

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    With Drummond, alot of it hinges on how well he does against pro training days. If he is as unready, as people claim, his stock will take a hit, though I have to say he has alot of potential as pretty good defender in the NBA.
     
  5. Rudyc281

    Rudyc281 Member

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    Andre just wasn't fit for college just like rivers plus he played at uconn were they did not utilize him right Drummond is going to be a solid center in the NBA not a franchise player but for sure a number 2 option he has sum growing up to do but when he does he will be a force he reminds me of Bynum took him awhile to grow up but look at Bynum now beast
     
  6. CCorn

    CCorn Member

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    I think winning is a good way to judge a player. UCONN has two lottery picks on the team, and they were just a huge disappointment. Drummond is not a winner, he didn't dominate in college, he won't in the pros.
     
  7. OremLK

    OremLK Member

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    Just stop. Drummond is 18 years old and has the tools of a Dwight Howard along with some skills which are developing and coming along just fine.

    Davis is of course the better player, but Drummond is a consensus top 5 pick, as he should be.
     
  8. OremLK

    OremLK Member

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    I honestly don't think you guys grasp just how much Drummond has improved on the defensive end. He has become a legitimate force in the painted area and he will be an enforcer, one of those rare guys who just completely shuts things down for the opposing team. He blocks more shots than he gives fouls, he boxes out, he never lets his man back him down. He's already a skilled, high motor defensive player.

    His offense has a lot of developing to do, but he's just 18. He has ideal physical tools and working under great big man coaches he could become something truly special.
     
  9. Trackwell

    Trackwell Member

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    EVERYBODY is down on this guy.....it makes me laugh! He is the 2nd most talented kid in this deep draft behind AD. He is only 18 years old, big men take time!!

    If I had the 2nd pick, this is who I would be taking. I am hoping that he falls to the 4th or 5th pick and the Rockets trade up and nab him. It could happen
     
  10. jopatmc

    jopatmc Contributing Member

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    No way he's the second most talented player in this draft. Size is one thing. Talent is another.
     
  11. OremLK

    OremLK Member

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    I don't think he's #2, I think that's Robinson. But Drummond is definitely top 5 in my book.
     
  12. CCorn

    CCorn Member

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    I am not the biggest follower of college ball. What superstars in the NBA were mediocre college players?
     
    1 person likes this.
  13. JayZ750

    JayZ750 Contributing Member

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    This is a good question. I do follow college bball but not enough to come up with a list off the top of my head, really.

    I think the secondary question would be which superstar or even all-star bigs "took time" to develop in college? I don't disbelieve the notion - Dwight certainly took time at the NBA level... but wouldn't he have dominated more in college than Drummond did?

    All that said, I do think he is worth a high lotto pick. He is still very young, has all the physical tools and played ok. He had more issues with consistency then anything else... not surprising.
     
  14. OremLK

    OremLK Member

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    A lot of them were not very good in their freshman season in college then got good later.

    Lamarcus Aldridge was a 10 and 6 guy as a freshman.
    Russell Westbrook could barely get on the court as a freshman and was only 12.7 and 4.3 as a sophomore.
    Tim Duncan was 9.8 and 9.6 as a freshman
    Deron Williams was 6.3 and 4.5 as a freshman
    Paul Pierce was 11.9 and 5.3.

    A lot of today's superstars we don't have any college stats for, because they were drafted straight out of HS (as would have happened with Drummond if he were eligible).
     
  15. meh

    meh Contributing Member

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    I really hope the Rockets are high on Drummond. His stock seems low enough where our two 1st rounders may be enough to trade up and nab him. He simply has too many question marks to warrant a super-high pick at this point.

    Of course, all signs point to him being an anti-Morey player. So not holding my breath here.
     
  16. larsv8

    larsv8 Contributing Member

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    I would take the gamble on Drummond. I don't care if he is a nobody in year one and two. I think CD, Dream, Scola, McHale develop him over the course of the first few years and we finally have something that we can build around a few years down the line.
     
  17. OremLK

    OremLK Member

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    The thing is with Drummond you know you're at least getting a solid defensive center who can see NBA minutes right now due to his ability on that end of the court.

    He is not anywhere close to a sure thing to become a superstar on offense, but he has a definite chance.

    Floor, present ability = solid roleplayer
    Ceiling, possible future outcome = superstar

    That's why he's a top 5 pick. It's not a wasted pick even if he doesn't get much better on offense, but he has a shot to become a special player.
     
  18. meh

    meh Contributing Member

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    You could've said that about every hyped big man to ever come into the draft.

    Kwame Brown. Kandiman. Thabeet. To name a few off the top of my head. Personally, I still prefer my big with some sort of skill besides being big.
     
  19. roslolian

    roslolian Member

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    I doubt if he gets anybody fired, but Drummond reminds me of Thabeet.The OP got it right, Drummond is big...and that's it. The fact that most boards have him going top 3 is ridiculous.

    The fact is, bigs rarely translate to the NBA. Stick thin raw 7 foot guys who aren't exlosive athletes? I've never heard of anybody like this breaking out, but you always get one drafted in the lottery almost every year.
     
  20. A_3PO

    A_3PO Member

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    Howard was also 18 years-old when he started in the NBA and averaged 12/10 as a rookie. Drummond won't even sniff that. It might take him 3 years to average a double-double.

    You said in another post he will start out as a solid role-player. Be prepared for disappointment. As a rookie, the guy is going to be a project. Maybe for a couple of years after that.

    While I think it's very unlikely Drummond will be like Thabust, he seems much more raw than I remember Howard as a rookie. I say he's worth a reach high in the 1st round even though he may not be worth a dime until his rookie contract nears expiration.
     

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