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"FacebookPinterest\n\n Photo: Noah Graham/Getty Images\n\nThis summer, we're hearing a lot about LeBron and Carmelo slimming down. It's a sign that the game is getting sleeker, faster, even less dependent on power to anchor a team at both ends. Then there's the Anthony Davis who showed up for Team USA ahead of this month's FIBA Basketball World Cup. The former beanpole of a big man has filled out; the rest of his body has caught up with the broad shoulders, and the Pelicans now have an unstoppable force on their roster. Davis is the standout player on Team USA, albeit one that's missing some key names. That's less important than the buzz he's generating. Buzz and hype are not the same thing. Hype is self-serving and unfulfilled; buzz is what's really out there for anyone to grab onto.\n\nHeading into his third year, Davis has sped up his development in unexpected ways. Coming out of Kentucky, he was trumpeted as a future Defensive Player of the Year whose athleticism and long stride could serve a destructive purpose on offense. But Davis is already a polished scorer and aggressive presence down low. He's added a mid-range jumper well ahead of schedule and, with his added bulk, can contribute like a traditional big man on top of everything else. In getting closer to convention, Davis has made himself even more unique.\n\nInternational competition may not be the real thing. It's more like basketball on another planet, with different rules, different standards, and a lopsided sensibility that suits some players better than others. But as with any remotely meaningful summer activity, it's like a sneak preview of what's ahead in the fall. There are stories of what an exciting environment Team USA can be, with the league's best coming together to swap wisdom and build friendships. At the end of the day, though, players don't make a leap forward because of the experience\u2014they make the leap because they're ready. Team USA is just the staging area.\n\nLast season, Davis occupied a place of wonder for us devoted NBA observers. He surpassed himself every night, doing things we'd never seen before and emerging as a dominant player. He was fine-tuning a game whose ceiling seemed limitless. We all knew how good he'd become, but there was a certain unreality to it all, especially with him playing for a lottery-bound team with a silly name. I watched Anthony Davis every chance I got but only realized at the end of the season that he was close to attaining elite status. He seemed off in his own little basketball world, a monster-in-training whose love of the game and level of skill were their own reward.\n\nIt was sometimes hard to remember that Davis would one day be compared to other NBA players. It was almost bittersweet to think about. When he was nearly left off the All-Star team in New Orleans, it was both unthinkable and, to some extent, reassuring.\n\nAnthony Davis on Team USA, though, thrusts him into the context of the league with a vengeance. Playing alongside the likes of Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Derrick Rose in a structured environment\u2014where roles are determined by coaches and practice\u2014he's naturally risen to the top. Granted, only the most dedicated NBA observers are paying attention, but it makes Davis's future all that more concrete. He's already a complete player: aggressive and effective at both ends, basketball IQ through the roof, impossibly athletic, quick, and agile with power added in to boot. And he's only 21. There's no telling how much better he will get, or even where his game will continue to develop. At this point, Davis is as unpredictable as one of his prismatic blocked shots.\n\nWhat's absolutely certain, though, is that when the 2014-15 season gets going, Davis will be a staple of nightly highlights. He should be among the league leaders in several statistical categories. Coming out of the loaded West, the Pelicans most likely won't crack the postseason\u2014though stranger things have happened. Davis will have help on offense from guards Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon; on defense, specialist Omer Asik will join him to make for a scary front line. The answer might be that the moderately capable Pelicans will go as far as Davis can take them.\n\nThe Pelicans might be scarce on the airwaves\u2014they've currently got only one nationally televised game scheduled, plus a couple NBA-TV appearances. The latter is more flexible, and could bulk up as the season goes on. Davis is simply too good not to get people's attention. He'll make the All-Star Game easily this season\u2014especially now that Pau Gasol and presumably Kevin Love are no longer in his conference. And like Kevin Durant in his third year, he'll graduate from up-and-comer with prodigious talent to one of the league's true franchise players. At the moment, it's hard to think of the right word to describe him, simply because the world isn't talking about him quite yet. This fall, all that will change. Davis will be a star, a superstar, and probably whatever comes after that."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.gq.com/story/the-anthony-davis-era-begins-now>