We forget how different the NBA and NCAA game are. Emeka Okefor is a good example. Not an incredibly talented offensive player, but was good enough to score whenever he wanted in college. He was an incredible defender because of his shotblocking skill even though he wasn't very tall. In the NBA he has been somewhat of a disappointment. Although he averaged nearly 20 points per game his rookie year, he did it averaging a ton of shots. His shooting percentage for a big man is as bad as it gets. Also, he hasn't even been close to a shutdown defender. All of these trouble come from lack of NBA size. There will always be exceptions to the rule (Spud Webb, Charles Barkley, etc.), but when it comes down to it size is important. For all the reasons listed above, I don't think Big Baby will be a good pro. I love him and hope he does well, but I don't think it will happen. He will be way to short to defend any true 4 or 5 in the pros, and he won't be able to score consistantly. NBA defenders are far more diciplined than SEC big men. They won't bite on all of Davis' pump fakes and spin moves. He doesn't have the size. This could be made up for if he could jump. We all know that this isn't his specialty. I hope I'm wrong, and I might be (especially if he can develop a good outside shooting game), but I don't think he'll ever be more than a role player in the NBA.
in general i agree with you, but i think he can be a good pro if----he develops moves and shot similar to karl malone. i think he can do that, but he hasnt yet worked enough on his jumper. he has good quickness and ive been impressed with his left hand.
I agree with you that developing a jumper would be of great benefit to him. However, I don't think big baby is anywhere near as athletic as Karl Malone--especially a young Malone.
i think he is around the goal. drop 30 more pounds and id like to see him run the floor. but the fact that he is not as athletic as malone is kind of my point. not that you have to be that good to be a first round pick.
