If you weren't following hoops in 2012, it's hard to explain just how much of a "sure thing" Anthony Davis felt like. Usually, the #1 pick comes with some debate. Think Oden vs. Durant or even the Wemby hype where people wondered if he'd snap in half. But for the Anthony Davis draft year, there was zero drama.
He was a 19-year-old with a 7-foot-5.5-inch wingspan and a unibrow that he’d already trademarked. Honestly, the New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans) didn't even have to think. They just turned in the card.
Why 2012 Was the Year of "The Brow"
Before we get into the NBA stuff, you have to look at what he did at Kentucky. It was ridiculous. He wasn't just good; he was a glitch in the system. Davis led the Wildcats to a national title, won National Player of the Year, and basically told the rest of college basketball that the rim was closed for business.
He averaged 4.65 blocks per game. Think about that. Nearly every five minutes someone tried to shoot, and he just swatted it away like a fly.
What made the Anthony Davis draft year so special was the "guard in a big man’s body" narrative. It wasn't just hype. He actually grew seven inches between his junior and senior years of high school. One minute he’s a 6-foot-3 guard bringing the ball up; the next, he’s a 6-foot-10 tower who still has the handles and the vision of a point guard.
The Scouting Report That Scared Everyone
Scouts were drooling.
I remember reading reports from NBADraft.net and Hoops Analyst at the time. They were calling him the best prospect since Kevin Durant. The consensus was basically: "He’s a defensive monster who might never score 20 points, but he’ll win you games."
Funny how that turned out.
He was skinny, though. Like, really skinny. He weighed about 222 pounds at the combine. People worried he’d get bullied by the "bruisers" of the league—guys like Roy Hibbert or Zach Randolph who were still relevant back then.
The 2012 NBA Draft Order
The night of June 28, 2012, changed a lot of franchises. It wasn't just about AD.
- Anthony Davis (New Orleans Hornets)
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte Bobcats)
- Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
- Dion Waiters (Cleveland Cavaliers)
- Thomas Robinson (Sacramento Kings)
- Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
Looking back, the fact that Michael Kidd-Gilchrist went #1 to Davis's #2—the first time teammates went top two—is a wild "what if." One became a perennial All-Star and champion; the other was out of the league way too soon. And then you have Dame Lillard sitting there at six. Portland fans still thank their lucky stars for that one.
The Olympic "Cheat Code" Experience
Most rookies go from the draft to Summer League in Vegas. Not Davis.
Because Blake Griffin got hurt, AD got called up to Team USA for the 2012 London Olympics. He was a "towel waver," as he calls it, but he was a gold-medal-winning towel waver.
He hadn't played a single second of NBA basketball, yet he was spending his summer being mentored by Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Kobe famously told AD’s dad, "I got your boy," and basically made Anthony his shadow.
Imagine being 19 and having Kobe Bryant show you how to be a professional before you even have a training camp. That’s why, when he finally stepped on the floor for the Hornets, he didn't look like a "deer in headlights." He’d already been catching lobs from Chris Paul and James Harden in practice for months.
Rookie Reality: Injuries and Impact
The actual 2012-13 season was a bit of a rollercoaster. He debuted against the Spurs and put up 21 points. Not bad for a "defensive specialist."
But the "Glass Man" labels started early. He had a concussion. He had a "stress reaction" in his ankle. He had a sprained shoulder. He only played 64 games that first year.
- PPG: 13.5
- RPG: 8.2
- BPG: 1.8
- Double-doubles: 20 (led all rookies)
Even with those numbers, he didn't win Rookie of the Year. Damian Lillard took that home unanimously. Lillard was older, more polished, and stayed healthy. But if you watched the tape, you could see AD was a different breed. He was switching onto guards, erasing shots at the summit, and running the floor like a gazelle.
What We Get Wrong About His Draft Year
People think AD was always destined to be this 25-and-12 superstar. Honestly? A lot of people thought he’d just be a "super" version of Marcus Camby or Tyson Chandler.
The offense was raw. He scored mostly on put-backs and lobs. His jump shot was "aesthetically pleasing" but didn't go in that often. The Pelicans—then the Hornets—basically gambled that the guard skills from his 6-foot-3 days would eventually resurface.
They were right.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking back at this era, whether for sports betting history or card collecting, keep these things in mind:
- The "New Orleans" Transition: Remember that 2012-13 was the last year they were the Hornets. Anything from his draft year with a Pelicans logo is actually from his second year.
- The "Short" Season Myth: People say he was a "bust" early because of injuries. He wasn't. He was incredibly efficient; he just didn't have the usage rate that Dame had in Portland.
- The Kobe Connection: His time with Team USA in 2012 is the single most important factor in his longevity. It gave him a veteran's brain in a teenager's body.
To really understand the Anthony Davis draft year, you have to stop looking at him as the Lakers superstar he is now. You have to see the skinny kid with the thick eyebrows who changed the way we think about "big men" forever. He wasn't a center or a forward. He was just a basketball player who happened to be 6-foot-10.