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NBA: Stage is Set for Anthony Davis to Reach Superstardom

By Maxwell Ogden

Mar 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) reacts after a basket by guard Tyreke Evans during the fourth quarter of a game against the Detroit Pistons at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Pistons 88-85. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) reacts after a basket by guard Tyreke Evans during the fourth quarter of a game against the Detroit Pistons at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Pistons 88-85. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Call me old school, call me unrealistic, call me anything but Shirley; to reach genuine NBA superstardom, a player must lead their team to the playoffs.

The age of advanced metrics and in-depth statistics have caused some to believe otherwise, but this is one standard that’s held true throughout NBA history. A star can be born of individual success, but the elite of the elite have always shared one common trait.

When such players take the floor, everyone around them gets better. That doesn’t cut off at a quality improvement, but instead one to the point of a team making the leap and reaching the postseason.

In 2014-15, a top contender for the elite label has a golden opportunity to make that leap.

With 21 games left on the schedule, the New Orleans Pelicans trail the Oklahoma City Thunder by just 0.5 games for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. They’ve survived injuries, have executed mid-season trades and continue to defy the odds.

Entering the final quarter of the 2014-15 NBA regular season, Anthony Davis has the stage to become a genuine NBA superstar.

The Numbers

Regardless of what transpires the rest of the way, the fact that Anthony Davis is already this good at 21 years old is frightening. He’s missed 12 games due to injury, but when he’s been on the court, Davis has been close to unstoppable.

The numbers prove it.

Davis is currently averaging 24.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 2.8 blocks and 1.5 steals in 35.4 minutes per contest. He’s shooting 54.5 percent from the field, 82.9 percent from the free throw line and his only 3-point field goal made was a game-winner.

According to Basketball-Reference.com, the last player to average at least 24.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.5 steals in a single season was Hakeem Olajuwon in 1995-96.

For fans of advanced metrics, Davis currently boasts a Player Efficiency Rating of 31.67. Not only is that the best mark in the NBA in 2014-15, but it’s one of the 10 greatest efforts recorded in league history.

Per Basketball-Reference.com, only three players have recorded a PER higher than Davis’ current mark: Wilt Chamberlain in 1961-62, 1962-63 and 1963-64, Michael Jordan in 1987-88 and 1990-91, and LeBron James in 2008-09 and 2012-13.

Outside of Chamberlain in 1962-63, every one of those storied seasons included a trip to the postseason. Davis has a chance to replicate the feat.

The question is, who will win the race for No. 8?

It’s going to be a star-studded race for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
It’s going to be a star-studded race for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

The Race for No. 8

Individually, Anthony Davis has already separated himself as one of the best two-way players in the NBA. He’s a dominant defensive presence and one of the most dynamic offensive power forwards in the association.

To make the leap from individual greatness to truly being one of the league’s elite, however, the third-year star must lead the Pelicans to the playoffs—an attainable and realistic goal.

New Orleans currently trails the Oklahoma City Thunder by just 0.5 games for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. They’re within 4.5 games of the San Antonio Spurs for No. 7.

Not only are Davis and the Pelicans on the cusp of making the postseason, but they hold the fate of their season in their own hands.

OKC has 20 games left on the schedule, while New Orleans has 21 plus the tiebreaker advantage. They won the head-to-head season series against the Thunder by a count of 3-1 and have a better record against the Western Conference, for good measure.

That critical third win came on—what else?—a buzzer-beater by Davis.

With Davis battling injuries, his teammates have picked up the slack at the most critical of times thus far.

Davis recently missed six consecutive games with a shoulder injury. Playing without both he and starting point guard Jrue Holiday—and for all but seven minutes, Ryan Anderson—New Orleans went 5-1.

The fact that a shorthanded Pelicans team was able to stay in the hunt without Davis only elevates the level of pressure he’s facing.

In Davis’ first game back, he proved to be up to the task. He went off for 39 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, eight blocks and three steals in an 88-85 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Thus, the stage has been set for a leap to superstardom.

It won’t be easy. The Thunder have an MVP candidate in Russell Westbrook, a deep roster and the return of reigning MVP Kevin Durant looming, while the Phoenix Suns are just 2.0 games back of OKC.

Whether or not New Orleans makes, Davis is well on his way to becoming one of the game’s greats. In the short-term, however, the unwritten laws of the elite state that his task is to do what every superstar before him has been able to: lead his team the playoffs.

A difference of 0.5 games is all that separates Davis from doing so.

Next: Who might be the next Anthony Davis? They could be in the 2015 NBA Draft

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