Karl Towns, Anthony Davis among top Sports Illustrated's top picks for franchise players

A year or so ago, it would have been hard to imagine a Kentucky player having a brighter future in the pros than Anthony Davis; however, Karl Towns' superb rookie season has some predicting he'll be even more successful in the league than the Pelicans superstar. This morning, Sports Illustrated's NBA writers got together and asked the question, "If you could build around one NBA player for the indefinite future, who would it be?". Steph Curry was an obvious answer, along with Kawhi Leonard, but Davis and Towns were also mentioned as possibilities. Jake Fischer picked Towns over all other players using this reasoning:

"There was a point this season when Karl-Anthony Towns's franchise-player value leap-frogged that of Anthony Davis's. In late February, Towns completed perhaps his best performance of his likely Rookie of the Year season, dropping 30 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block in a victory in New Orleans after Davis sprained his right big toe during pregame warmups. Towns posted the sixth-highest PER for a 20-year-old in NBA history and the second highest of any 20-year-old rookie, trailing only Shaquille O'Neal. He can score with his back to the basket, blow past defenders, drain threes and make plays off the bounce like Draymond Green... all at 7-feet tall. He started and played all 82 games this season, a feat Davis has never accomplished. Stephen Curry is really Towns's only competition for this coveted spot. And despite his historic prowess, Curry's injury history is scary in its own right. I'll give the nod to the Timberpup.

Meanwhile, Kenny Ducey makes the case for Davis, who battled injuries throughout the season:

This was an easy answer a year ago, but now because of injuries not as many are rolling with Davis. Folks said the same thing about a certain Golden State point guard that dealt with injuries early in his career... and look how he turned out. Davis has immense talent on the defensive end, and is beginning to extend his range to the three-point line to complement a growing offensive skillset. With a little refinement, Davis can cement himself as one of the best in the league by age 26. His ceiling is some sort of unguardable mammoth, so you’ll take the risk of further injury. Gimme the Brow.

Who would you pick: Towns or Davis? If you know me at all, you know my answer. [SI.com: Roundtable: Who is your dream NBA player to build a team around?]