HT: 6-3 | WT: 212 | AGE: 21 | YR: 2
PTS: 13.5 | REBS: 5.3 | AST: 7.3
By Dr. Jack Ramsay
Special to ESPN.com
Baron Davis is an intriguing player whose athleticism, competitiveness and overall basketball skill are at an extremely high level. He does remarkable things. You have to watch replays to make sure you saw exactly what happened.
The Hornets' second-year point guard is extremely quick and strong, has great jumping ability and body balance and tremendous agility. Davis is so explosive. A week ago against Philadelphia, Davis made a great steal of the ball from Allen Iverson. He was a blur; he got the ball and was gone in a millisecond. I don't think Iverson saw him coming.
Davis is not a consistent perimeter shooter, hitting only 42 percent from the field. I've seen games where teams dare him to shoot, and he seems reluctant to do it. He needs to acquire shooting skills from the perimeter to be a great player, and he still needs work on becoming a better passer and decision-maker.
But Davis is much better this year than last season, his rookie year. The Hornets moved David Wesley to the two-guard spot, letting Davis be the ballhandler. And he's still learning. Davis is in fast company, with Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury ahead of him in their development as point guards. But I'm sure the Hornets are glad they drafted him. Coach Paul Silas has been very complimentary of him. There is no limit to what Davis can do.
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HT: 6-6 | WT: 230 | AGE: 23 | YR: 3
PTS: 24.3 | REBS: 6.1 | AST: 2.9
By Fred Carter
Special to ESPN.com
Paul Pierce and Baron Davis are two exciting players. But Pierce's ability to play two positions gives him the edge over Davis. He can play both the three and the two, and, even though the point guard has evolved into a scorer's position, the three and the two are the highest scoring position on the floor.
Pierce's stats have just taken off this season. Last year he and as a rookie he was good, a legit 20-ppg guy in the making, but he's upped his scoring from 19.5 ppg to an amazing 24.3 currently. Pierce does a lot of things and it's apparent he was a draft-day steal for Rick Pitino and the Celtics.
Pierce is also a better three-point shooter than Davis. He can post up and dribble-drive. He brings a lot to the table defensively as well. When you look at the total package of offense and defense along with his size, Pierce has the brighter future in the NBA.
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