NBA’s All-Future Team: Predicting The League’s Future Stars

The Future of Power Forwards

Mar 19, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward

prior to the game against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Davis – New Orleans Pelicans

The future is

brow

now. Davis has blossomed from defensive-oriented prospect, to all-around stud for the Pelicans in just three short years. At only 22 years of age, the Olympic gold medalist is still arguably half a decade away from hitting his prime in the NBA.

Davis came into the league after a single season at the University of Kentucky. His single-season blocks record while playing under Coach Calipari, was enough to have teams salivating as he declared for the draft.

Since his arrival in the league, he has become a dominant force on both ends of the floor. On pace to lead the league in blocked shots this season, as well as a top-five finish in scoring, Anthony Davis has prevent that he is here to stay.

Already a two-time All-Star, Davis has made the leap from first overall pick in 2012 to perennial MVP candidate on a New Orleans squad that is on the cusp of a playoff return.

Derrick Favors – Utah Jazz

Mar 19, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Utah Jazz forward

(15) dunks against the Los Angeles Lakers during the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

It pains me to this day that Derrick Favors was traded away by my beloved Brooklyn Nets and every year I use ESPN’s Trade Machine to figure out how we could possibly get him back.

That being said, Favors is a bright young star in the making. He’s been brought along slowly in the frequently overpopulated big-man rotation for the Utah Jazz. Now he has been position as the centerpiece of what appears to be a very young team with the potential to be playoff bound in the near future.

Despite now being in the NBA for five seasons (3rd overall selection by the Nets in 2010 Draft), Favors is still just 23 years old. He has developed into a nightly double-double threat with a vast array of shots from the post. In addition to that, his abilities as a low post defender have made him a very strong two-way player.

Next: Centers