A lot of PFs are bulkier than him too though, he's going to bulk up (he better) and when he does he'll be a lot longer than everyone else on the floor. I think he's going to play Center in the NBA though. I think Ibaka bursting out had more to do with him growing as a player, you can roam free as a Center, that really depends on who are guarding. If you are guarding a Kevin Love you are not roaming around places, the same if you are guarding Bynum or another skilled big. Luckily for Ibaka and all the other skilled big men...there just aren't enough to go around...or the skilled ones tend to be undersized like Scola.
smh at some people here that think Davis has no skills or fundamentals. The guy was a guard few years ago and has the total package. If you watched him in high school you would know he can do it all, great jumper, handles, playmaking, drive to the basket, etc. He has a different role in Kentucky, that's why he doesn't bring that out anymore. Doubting his skill package is the last thing you should do.
On a daily basis in the NBA, guarding Cs vs PFs is quite different. It will be years before Davis moves to full-time C, if ever. IMO, he'll end up like KG and dominate on defense from there. While he's matured, Ibaka has always had the shot-blocking in him and even during his rookie year he took over some games with it against smaller teams. But, again, the fact he isn't forced to play against Cs half the time set him free. As a PF, he's stronger than 90% of guys he goes up against (and since you mention maturity, he's finally figured out other PFs can't keep him from the offensive glass). Against Cs, he's outweighed by 30-40 lbs and it changes the way he plays defense. As it stands now, Perkins, Mohammed and Collison all guard the C position before he does.
Anthony Davis reminds me of Marcus Camby coming out. Athletic freak, defensive stalwart. I think he has great timing but he has a ways to go on offense. Dwight Howard will be the obviously comparison but I think Davis has sky-high defensive potential. He is clearly going to be win multiple DPOY awards. Dwight never commits himself to going all out for blocks the way Davis seems to. A scary thought would be Davis/Biyombo C/PF combo for Charlotte. Nobody would be able to get points in the paint vs them in 2 years. The way he controlled the game last night was impressive, and when he ran out on that Kansas 3 point shooter and made him travel that was arguably the play that sealed it for Kentucky. Robinson is interesting to me as well, I feel he is going to be a special player on the offensive end and will average right around double digit rebounds as well. I love the way he bullies his way for position down low. I would say he's comparable to Paul Millsap.
^^ Meh, it's clear you guys only saw him at Kentucky. The guy can take guys off the dribble, shoot 3s, dribble his way to the basket and do good layups/fakes. Complete repertoire, he has it all. All you people are fooled by his tenure at UK, it didn't show you anything about his offensive skillset. All this "has ways to go on offense" stuff is just not true, he will be one of the most skillled bigs in the league.
I don't make it a point to watch high school basketball, so yes I've only seen him play at Kentucky. I saw some low post moves from him that I think he'll be able to develop, but his defensive prowess is just incredible.
Davis is potentially a once in a generation defensive player. I could see a double double his rookie year...11 and 13. His rebounding and defensive instincts are astounding. I watched all but 2 of Robinson's games this year. He is a solid top 5 pick. He still needs to develop his post moves, but his motor and heart are not to be questioned.
You might have caught him on some bad offensive days (Monday was one). Camby is a fair comparison on defense, but Davis has a really sweet J from 18 to 20 feet, too. I could see Garnett in the right system.
Not that athletic. Smith is basically a combo 3/4... Robinson is a combo 4/5. Primarily a post guy, but an athletic bull. I agree with the Paul Millsap comparison, as well as my earlier one of Antonio McDyess pre-injury.
Robinson is significantly bigger than Millsap. I personally think Robinson's ceiling (he's not there yet) is "Amare Stoudemire with defense". They have similar height and athleticism... Robinson doesn't have Amare's mid range game yet, but he's working on it and improving rapidly. You can see why I think he's a superstar. In five years he could be considered the best PF in the NBA and I wouldn't be surprised at all.
Hmmm....I wonder why he didn't do any of this in college? <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/egyYrj_G_WU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Good stuff. Davis sacrificed that jumper and those handles to play within the system at Kentucky. The shackles will come off in the NBA. Anybody else ready for the draft and summer league? :grin:
