Out of nowhere?
The kid that led his college team to a title as a freshman, was the #1 pick that the league gave to the Hornets after they nixed the CP3 deal, and put up a PER over 26 at the age of 21, in his second year, and is already one of thee best defensive players in the league, while still improving on Offense after already putting up 21-10 a night yet not even scratching the surface of where he's headed.
From no where?
But the Pelicans are a very mediocre team.
I understand AD isn't some no name who came into the scene out of "no where". He has a history of notoriety and fame. What I'm trying to say is that, yes, his numbers are improving and he's shown great signs as a basketball player.
But his team only won 34 games last season. Last time I checked, you're only as good as your team. Isn't that the kind of slander Love had to deal with all these years? Or is AD not applicable for this? Until he gets his team playing better and puts up numbers consistently, I'm not sold he's a top 3 player in the NBA.
Maybe in 3-5 years this is more of a reasonable possibility.