How Anthony Davis is becoming an unstoppable force for Pelicans
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Welcome back to the Anthony Davis tour of destruction. The New Orleans Pelicans' superstar forward had the look of a living unibrowed Hall of Famer following a breakthrough 2014-15 season. But after a disappointing encore (in part because of injuries), the NBA zeitgeist moved its Next Big Thing campaign sign to Minnesota, the home of Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves-Pelicans, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Uh, not so fast. Through 15 games, Davis has catapulted himself back to the forefront of league consciousness ... even though his Pelicans have earned just five wins this season.
Davis dominant once again
When New Orleans reached the playoffs in 2014-15 after a 45-win season, it appeared that the team's development was mirroring that of its former No. 1 overall pick and that there would be more good things to come. Instead, the Pelicans stumbled last season while playing 21 games without Davis. His performance dipped slightly when he was on the court as he battled through a variety of injuries, including recurrent left knee pain and a partially torn labrum suffered during his rookie season. This season, however, he's playing some of his best basketball while aiming to best his career high of 68 games played. He's currently second in the league in Player Efficiency Rating (30.8, tied with his career high). A look at his yearly PER since his rookie season:
As a scorer, Davis has shown continual growth year over year. His points per 36 minutes totals have climbed each season, hovering around the 30-point mark so far this season (29.9). Among qualified players, only Russell Westbrook (32.8) and DeMar DeRozan (30.2) score more per 36 minutes played. A look at how Davis has improved:
He's had to carry his team
With the return of former All-Star Jrue Holiday, the Pelicans are showing signs of life over the past week (winning their past three games, including Tuesday night in Atlanta). But overall, Davis has been operating on a roster without major support in scoring, rebounding or steals. Tim Frazier is a serviceable pro, but he wouldn't be second in total points for a winning franchise. Because of that talent gap (Holiday notwithstanding), The Brow carries the lion's share of the load. For example, as the league's leading shot-blocker at 3.0 per game, he accounts for 40 percent of all blocks by Pelicans players. The percent of team totals that Davis produces, and percentages for the top three players league-wide in each category for comparison:
He has an arsenal of moves
A player with myriad physical gifts (agility, hands, quickness, length and jumping ability) should be able to maximize them, and Davis has used them all in developing several tried-and-true moves to carve up opposing defenses. Here's a look at four of his most effective maneuvers:
1. The pick-and-pop shooter
Davis may look like a center, but his ability to shoot like a wing creates a no-win situation for defenders when he comes off of screens -- even when there's good coverage. Said Gentry: "It's very difficult for any 4-man, or 5-man for that matter, to stay in front of him out on the floor without him being able to jump up and shoot it over the top."
2. The post man
You may not think of Davis as a back-to-the-basket big, but post-ups make up the second-largest percentage of his offensive plays this season, per Synergy Sports, and he's been just as effective at them as bruiser DeMarcus Cousins (0.949 PPP).
3. The finisher
Davis' teammates at Kentucky weren't allowed to throw it to him in the post early on his career, but they could lob it up. Five years later, the 23-year-old has clearly retained those skills.
4. The ball handler
How many big men can bring the ball up the court, push it to an open man and nail a fadeaway jumper? Davis, who honed in on his ballhandling this offseason and does pregame dribbling drills with point guard Frazier and former NBA point guard Robert Pack, has become a one-man fast break.
He has expanded his range
Davis became a 20-point scorer on average in his second season by taking most of his shots close to the basket. But range and a coach who embraces his unique skills have helped push him over 30 in his fifth season. As evidenced by the shot chart below, Davis' average shot distance has increased every season. You see the pattern more clearly when you compare the percentage of shots by distance each season since his first: fewer shots close to the rim, and a big uptick in midrange jumpers. Davis now shoots just as often from 16 feet to the 3-point line (23 percent) as he does within three feet of the rim. While he's shooting just 23.3 percent from 3 this season, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry predicts he'll be in the mid-to-high 30 percent range by season's end.
Gentry has encouraged the growth of Davis beyond the usual constraints of a player his size in their two seasons together. "The rule of thumb is, 'Oh, you've got a 7-foot guy, oh, put him on the block and you've got to pound it into him.' And that's not who he is," Gentry said. "What he is is a really good out-on-the-floor player capable of making plays for other guys. Good shooter. And just a good facilitator."
He's capable of 50-point explosions
Once an MVP favorite, Davis' star dulled after missing a career-high 21 games in 2015-16. In one game, he dismissed all doubts ... even as the ones centered on the Pelicans' supporting cast may have been reaffirmed. In the season-opener, Davis went off for 50 points -- the second-most in his career -- on 34 shots; the rest of New Orleans' injury-depleted roster had 52 points on 58 shots.
"It would have been more satisfying if we would have won," he said after the 107-102 loss at home to the Denver Nuggets. "The way I played, I'm gonna have to ... probably not 50 every night, but try to get somewhere along those lines every game to give ourselves a chance to win. That's the bottom line. We just got to go, keep finding guys and trust those guys that they're going to make shots."
On a legendary pace
Davis is attempting to accomplish something very special this season: average more than 30 points, 10 boards, three blocks and 1.5 steals. It's a testament to his eye-popping combination of athleticism and size -- the only two players to hit the other thresholds while averaging 25 points are Davis predecessors: Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. It's still early and Davis would have to maintain an extremely high level in four different categories, but he has a chance to put together an historic season.
The 25/10/3/1.5 club
A few more numbers of note via ESPN Stats & Information:
Over the past 50 years, only seven players have scored more points prior to their 23rd birthday than Davis, who has totaled 5,276 before turning 23 in March.
Davis, Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard are the only players over the past 30 years with 5,000 points and 500 blocks by their 23rd birthday.
His 30.81 PER in 2014-15 -- considered his age-21 season but finished when Davis was 22 -- ranks 11th ever in a single season, behind only Wilt Chamberlain, Jordan and James. Though each current and future Hall of Famer appears on the list three times or more, none crossed 30 before age 24.
Statistics courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information, Synergy Sports Tech, NBA.com, and Basketball-Reference.com.
