AD Ranks #1 in Bill Simmons Annual Trade Value Column

quote:

---

He just turned 22 years old and hasn’t even played 6,500 career minutes yet. He’s the best screen-and-roller since Young Robinson. Longer arms than McHale. Freakocious athlete like Hakeem. Light on his feet like Young Duncan. Drains 20-footers like Bosh. Protects the paint like KG. I don’t know what else you’d want. Jordan (24 years old at the time), LeBron (24), T-Mac (23) and Davis (right now) are the only under-25 players to post PERs over 30. He’s also one of three under-25 guys (along with ’90 Robinson and ’74 Bob McAdoo) to average 24 and 10 with 2.5 blocks and 1.0 steals. And if he came along 35 years ago, he’d probably be a senior at Kentucky right now.

...So that’s the first stage: the old Gladwell Blink test, when you witness the raw materials in person and think to yourself, Jesus, where is THIS going? But there’s a second stage, usually in Year 2 or Year 3, when it ascends to another level and that night-to-night ceiling gets removed. That’s probably my favorite career point for basketball players, actually. Tonight, we know that about 16,000 people will pack the Smoothie King Center to watch the Pelicans play the Bucks. We know the Pelicans will probably win. And we have absolutely no idea what the Brow will do. A quadruple-double? Can’t rule it out. 40 and 20? Not impossible. 35, 10 and 15? It’s in play. A game-winning off-balance 3 with two guys draped over him? Sure.

It’s the single best stage. Others are coming, but I love this one the most. Anthony Davis might play 50,000 minutes over the next 15 to 20 years. He might climb one or two levels higher than this current one. He might win multiple MVPs and multiple titles; I would be shocked if that didn’t happen. But he’s going to be young and great only once. This doesn’t happen often. Cross your fingers.

---