Calipari watched Team USA's top player transform from a lanky high school senior into the NCAA's Player of the Year. From a front-row seat, Williams has watched Davis go from a talented but inconsistent rookie to a dominant, two-way NBA star. All in the span of four years.
We have been following Davis' development and have made it clear how good he can be for the Pelicans this season. But Calipari's opinion of his former player clearly carries more weight than ours. In an exclusive interview with USA Today, the leader of the Big Blue Nation didn't exactly temper the sky-high expectations the basketball world has for Davis.
"Right now, you look at (Davis) as potentially the best player in the NBA five years from now," Calipari said. "And the USA Basketball thing moves that date up. That's what it does for him: It gives him a work ethic; it gives him new things to add to his game; and it gives him a confidence level where he says, 'These are the best in the world, so I'm all right.
The absence of players like Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Kevin Love from the World Cup roster provides Davis with a significant growth opportunity, both in terms of basketball skills and leadership. This is similar to the opportunity Durant had and fully embraced four years ago to grow into the role of the face of the American basketball team at the World Cup.
Calipari obviously agrees, and is correct that Davis' position on Team USA is accelerating his maturation into the game's best player. Durant and even an aging LeBron James will undoubtedly have something to say about that, but Davis' rapid ascent to their hallowed heights makes this far from an exaggeration.
Williams - an assistant with the national team - also pointed to his 21-year-old superstar's place in the Team USA hierarchy as an important tool for improvement.
"He understands that he is a leader among several alpha dogs. Mentally, he is stepping up several notches. And I think Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) has a lot to do with that. He's pushing Kyrie to be a leader. He's pushing him to be a guy on this team that they can look to.
Look at the names on this team. Look at the game-changing impact they have. Rarely can we say there's a better player on the hardwood than Anthony. That has to elevate him from a confidence standpoint. And because of that, we think it helps USA Basketball move forward.
This season in New Orleans, Davis is surrounded by an experienced, talented, if somewhat mismatched group of players, and he will benefit greatly from the presence of center Omer Asik. If their health holds up this season, there is every reason to believe that the playoff-hungry Pelicans can at least contend for a spot in the loaded Western Conference.
But it will take more than the brawn and brains of Davis to bolster New Orleans' chances for a surprise march into spring. They need him to set the tone, and not just with his numbers. Williams, for one, thinks Davis will do that, and with some confidence, I'd say, given the time Davis had with Team USA to really understand and enjoy how to play for a better tomorrow.
The rest of the league should find this very disturbing, as it supports Calipari's claim better than simply watching Davis play.
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