Davis is ready for the NBA
Ed Davis
As the NBA Draft approaches and the mock drafts begin to sprout all over the place I found this nice article/interview about ex UNC power forward Ed Davis. From the sounds of it the young man, who spent two season under the tuteledge of head coach Roy Williams, is almost at 100% after his season ending wrist injury and can not wait to work out at full force for all the National Basketball Association teams in the near future. Very interesting tid bit from this SN article is that the 6’9″ power forward said to have talked to both coach Williams and his parents before making the decision, and while his father was also a pro (10 year vet) the final word on what he wanted to do was left up to him, with money having no factor in the final decision.
As far as me, a blogger that has been watching the college game for over three decades and thinks he knows just a bit about the players he sees, this is how it boils down for the young man, who might have gone to the next level one year too late (since he would have been a Top 5 last draft and might fall out of the Top 10 in this one). Like it or not us at North Carolina got to see some of what Davis is capable of, but I believe we didn’t get to see the majority of his skills, and that means his potential for growth at the next level is huge. Between being left handed, having good hands, a soft touch and (again potentially) being able to bulk up and build out the 6’9″ forward could be one of the players that would cause problem to the opposing defenders. On the defensive side I think that the newest Heel in the NBA will leave his mark from day one in the NBA. There is no way you can make me believe that the talent the young man has to block shots and get defensive rebounds won’t be (for the most part) the same at the next level.
On the other side most of what I have said is all about “what he could be”, what Davis is right now is more of a mystery than anything. Will he be the man in the middle at the next level or will he be playing the four? Can he bang with the big boys down low with his talent and athleticism or will that not be enough to be a dominant player in the Pro’s. One thing is for sure, as of right now, the twenty year old from Richmond, Virginia does not have that killer instict that would make him a lot more appealing to the GMs/scouts. Again, that is something that can be worked on and developed, but it is also something that might never come.
In the end Ed Davis is going to be the poster boy for the National Basketball Association’s favorite word: potential. I am sure that if he had not gotten hurt last season the would be a lot less question marks regarding him. But as I said many times over, even if before the Wear twins decided to leave UNC, I think that this is definitely the right move for Davis, since he might be getting more playing time with a lottery pick team that he would at Chapel Hill. Could Davis come out as a bust? Sure, I do not doubt that, but if I was a betting man I think that he will be a good player that will be in the NBA for just as long as his father was (if not longer).
Ed Davis Career Stats
Come back today in the afternoon as I try to check on all the major mock drafts to see where Ed Davis would land and make sure to check out my special podcast on BlogTalkRadio to hear how four college bloggers forecast this year’s NBA Draft.
Check out this video from Draft Xpress:
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