Anthony Davis: Opening Night a Sign of Things to Come?

The New Orleans Pelicans have one of the NBA’s brightest young stars on their roster in Anthony Davis, and he showed exactly why there has been so much hype surrounding him last night against the Orlando Magic.

Davis scored 26 points on 10-22 shooting, while also grabbing 17 rebounds and blocking nine shots. He also recorded three steals and two assists in the 36 minutes that he played against Orlando. Obviously he put those numbers up against a fairly bad team, but they still showed exactly what many were expecting to see from him to start the year.

Now the question becomes, is that type of performance something that fans can expect to see from him on a more regular basis?

At just 21 years of age, Davis has an incredibly bright future ahead of him. He has a skill-set that the NBA hasn’t seen in quite some time, if ever. His 6’10” and 220 pound frame gives him excellent size to go along with his above average athletic ability, and he has the ability to handle the basketball like a guard as well.

Last season with the Pelicans, Davis ended up averaging 2.8 blocks per game and was second only to Serge Ibaka of the Oklahoma City Thunder who averaged 3.0 per game. His defense is what makes him even more special, and he’s the cornerstone for the Pelicans on both ends of the court. Finding “superstars” who are just as good on both ends of the court is rare, but New Orleans definitely has one.

There is no question that Davis has the talent and potential to keep up similar performances to that throughout the rest of the season. He is a legitimate MVP candidate, and is by far the best player on his team. The Pelicans have assembled some talent around him to help him succeed, but he is without a doubt the go-to guy for them each and every night.

Obviously blocking nine shots per game isn’t going to happen, but he will continue blocking at least 2-3 per game like he did throughout all of last season. On the offensive end of the court, there is simply no one that will be able to truly defend him.

Whether he’s getting to the rim, posting up, or shooting from mid-range, he is just as lethal. Last night against the Magic, Davis had an offensive rating of 126 which is far above the league average. He is very strong in the post, can jump over anyone, but can also step out and knock down the mid-range shot.

New Orleans is the perfect spot for Davis this season, as he has the green light to do whatever he wants to do. His offensive game will continue producing the 26-point type of game that he had last night, and some of the shots that he missed last night will go in throughout the rest of the season. Not only could he see his numbers stick around at about the same, he could actually see them rise.

When everything is sad, the bottom line is that Davis is officially a superstar in the NBA, and he will be taking the league by storm this year. There aren’t any other big men that have the type of talent that Davis possesses, and there definitely aren’t big men that can play both sides of the floor like him. He is a true MVP candidate and will have a very good chance at winning the trophy if his team steps up around him and becomes a playoff team.

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It’s hard to believe that he still has more talent to unlock and is doing what he is doing at 21. He has the chance to be the best player in the NBA over the next couple of seasons if he continues to improve at the rate that he has been. Needless to say, the present is an extremely exciting team for the Pelicans, but the future is even brighter.

So is last night’s performance a sign of things to come for Davis? Absolutely, and there is plenty more to watch out for from him throughout the course of the year.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Regular Season Opener Edition

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