John Calipari: Anthony Davis will be a SF/PF in the NBA

[rondohondo]

Calipari was just interviewed on sportscenter and he said that Davis will be a SF/PF in the NBA. I know the kid has great athleticism and length , but I don't think he can guard SF'S in the NBA on the perimeter . To me one he fills out he will be best suited to play PF/C.

Thoughts?

[Fafnir]

He could guard either forward position with his length and quickness, at least for his first few years in the league.

But he's a PF right now and probably till he gets old enough to lose his quickness. He needs to stay close to the rim on defense to have the impact rebounding and defensively.

[Marcus13]

PF is definitely the natural fit here.  He would struggle to play SF or C (at least at this stage, he may put a lot of weight on when he finally stops growing)

[Donoghus]

There's no way in heck he can play SF at a high level for very long in the NBA.

He's pretty darn close to a natural PF right now.  Stick him at the 4 for the next decade and enjoy the results.

[Fafnir]

There's no way in heck he can play SF at a high level for very long in the NBA.

He's pretty darn close to a natural PF right now.  Stick him at the 4 for the next decade and enjoy the results.

He could play it defensively, but offensively it'd be bad.

Just like Tim Duncan was a PF right away but could switch to any position and guard them credibly. (Al Horford did it too coming out of college)

[Donoghus]

There's no way in heck he can play SF at a high level for very long in the NBA.

He's pretty darn close to a natural PF right now.  Stick him at the 4 for the next decade and enjoy the results.

He could play it defensively, but offensively it'd be bad.

Just like Tim Duncan was a PF right away but could switch to any position and guard them credibly. (Al Horford did it too coming out of college)

I agree with the quickness thing, but defensively, do you really want him guarding out on the perimeter where he'd have to be a good amount of time guarding a wing or would you rather have him in & around the paint where I feel he'd be one heckuva defender?

[Eddie20]

And look no further than this to explain why his record as an NBA coach is 72-112 and he posted a .391 winning percentage.

He is purely a college coach, primarily for his ability as a recruiter not his X's and O's.

[KGs Knee]

I won't say that Davis couldn't play SF in the NBA, although I'm rather skeptical. 

I will ask, why would a coach want to play him at SF?  Seems like that would be a complete waste of his talent.  Davis will be a very good defensive PF in the NBA.

I'm not really sure what Calipari is attempting to do here.  Does he think this is somehow going to boost Davis' draft stock?  Or is he just speaking his mind?

And look no further than this to explain why his record as an NBA coach is 72-112 and he posted a .391 winning percentage.

He is purely a college coach, primarily for his ability as a recruiter not his X's and O's.

When Cal makes statements like these, it really does back-up why he stunk as an NBA coach.

[Roy H.]

I suppose I can see his development a lot like KG's:  he's probably got the athleticism to be forced into a SF role for limited minutes, but he's a PF.  Once he becomes bulkier and slower, I could see him moving over to center.

[Eddie20]

I won't say that Davis couldn't play SF in the NBA, although I'm rather skeptical. 

I will ask, why would a coach want to play him at SF?  Seems like that would be a complete waste of his talent.  Davis will be a very good defensive PF in the NBA.

I'm not really sure what Calipari is attempting to do here.  Does he think this is somehow going to boost Davis' draft stock?  Or is he just speaking his mind?

And look no further than this to explain why his record as an NBA coach is 72-112 and he posted a .391 winning percentage.

He is purely a college coach, primarily for his ability as a recruiter not his X's and O's.

When Cal makes statements like these, it really does back-up why he stunk as an NBA coach.

Exactly. Defensively he blocks a ton of shots, rebounds well, and can defend the pick and roll effectively because of his quickness. But hey, let's have defending wings on the perimeter.

Offensively he can get by slower 4's with his quick first step, and take the smaller one's in the post with his length and height. But hey, let's use him as a 3 where his still developing J would kill our spacing.

What's not to love?

[indeedproceed]

I suppose I can see his development a lot like KG's:  he's probably got the athleticism to be forced into a SF role for limited minutes, but he's a PF.  Once he becomes bulkier and slower, I could see him moving over to center.

Do you think his unibrow thickness will play a pivotal role here?

[manl_lui]

with his height, he can be like Durant, oversized for his position. Durant is roughly 6-9, 6-10 playing small forward...

I can see Davis being a same type

[rondohondo]

with his height, he can be like Durant, oversized for his position. Durant is roughly 6-9, 6-10 playing small forward...

I can see Davis being a same type

Durant is a much more fluid athlete IMO and had much greater offensive skill and was a lights out shooter entering the league

[td450]

And look no further than this to explain why his record as an NBA coach is 72-112 and he posted a .391 winning percentage.

He is purely a college coach, primarily for his ability as a recruiter not his X's and O's.

He took a job with the Nets, and actually did OK. He had mediocre talent. In his third year, he had a couple of bad breaks, got of to a bad start, and got fired.

The guy can coach. He did some amazing work in his first few years at UMASS without any elite talent.

As for Davis, he will play power forward, and he will provide some great help D, but he'll get beat up by the stronger guys one on one for a few years. The championship game showed he has some real work to do before he can post up a real NBA level defender. As others have said, he might be able to cover some 3's but taking him away from the rim is stupid.

[Who]

Anthony Davis' best position is at center. That is where he can maximize his value as a team defender, rebounder and offensive facilitator in the high post.

His second best position is at power forward. Using him there forces him to matchup against quicker opponents and defenders who are more comfortable defending 15-18 feet from the rim which lessens his value offensively. It also takes him further from the rim defensively and lessens his value as a shot-blocker and rebounder. He will still be very valuable here however ... just not as valuable as he could at center.

Small forward is an okay destination for Davis so long as his team employs a power lineup and uses his size advantage on the box against smaller wings. Defensively, squeeze the floor with lots of length and activity on team defense. With the rule changes (hand-checking and zone defenses) ... we see a lot less of these types of players nowadays though. I'm not sure he'll be as effective here as he would have been 15+ years ago.