New Orleans Pelicans: Anthony Davis’ Hot Start Shouldn’t Surprise Anyone

Anthony Davis is off to a hot start in 2016-17, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

Just two games into the season and Anthony Davis already reminded everyone why 86.2 percent of NBA GMs said he’d be their first option to start a team heading into the 2015-16 season. After putting up a stat line against the Denver Nuggets that made people remember why his game  infatuated so many people last season, he followed it up with a similar game against the super-team Golden State Warriors.

Davis now has back-to-back 45-point, 15-rebound games to start the season. He’s scored more points in the first two games of the season than anyone else in NBA history, passing Michael Jordan by four points (95-91).

In case you missed it, here’s a look at Davis’ first two games:

• vs. Nuggets:  50 points, 16 rebounds, 7 steals, 5 assists, 4 blocks, 50 FG%, 16-17 FT
• vs. Warriors:  45 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 54.8 FG%, 10-14 FT

Since the 2000-01 season, only Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Webber, Kevin Durant and Dwight Howard have had at least 45 points, 15 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in a single game, according to Basketball-Reference, and Davis has now done it in two straight games.

It shines a light on how dominant Davis has been through the first two games, but no one should be that surprised.

The New Orleans Pelicans can’t rely on anyone else on offense right now, which gives Davis more opportunities. Tim Frazier, a career 5.5 points per game scorer, is currently second on the Pelicans in scoring, which is telling of how much they have to rely on Davis until Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans return from injury.

As a result, Davis has already attempted 65 shots this season, tied with Russell Westbrook for the league lead. Also, Davis owns two of three 30 field-goal attempt games in the early season, with Westbrook owning the third. Davis has been extremely efficient from the field, shooting 52.3 percent, but the point is, he is relied on more than almost anyone else in the NBA, on both ends of the court.

Against Golden State when Kevin Durant picked up a technical foul, Anthony Davis shot the free-throw. While Davis is a good free-throw shooter, a career 78.1 percent from the line, it’s extremely rare to see a power forward/center taking the technical foul shot. It shows how thin they are at scorers.

Plus, both E’Twaun Moore and Solomon Hill, the Pelicans’ starting wing players, were held scoreless in the first half against Golden State and finished the game with seven combined points. With inefficient play like that, it’s hard not to look for Anthony Davis on every offensive possession. Therefore, he’ll naturally get more opportunities to put up big numbers.

It doesn’t take away from his historic start, but it does help us understand it better.

While Davis has never started this hot, he does historically get off to fast starts every season. Then, every year, everyone is reminded of why he’s one of the great young players. But injuries, Davis regressing to his normal but still stellar play, and the Pelicans becoming irrelevant starts to take the spotlight off of Davis as the season goes on.

Here’s a look at Davis’ first five games since 2013-14:

• 2013-14:  21.2 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 2.2 SPG, 4.0 BPG (six block game in sixth game)
• 2014-15:  24.4 PPG, 12.8 RPG, 2.2 SPG, 4.4 BPG (six blocks in sixth game)
• 2015-16:  25.2 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 3.0 BPG

It’s not to say that Davis reverts back to a mediocre power forward, but with a few exceptions his first five games are significantly better than his season averages. Therefore, while no one guessed that Davis would set records and look like the best player in the league through two games, a hot start from the Pelicans’ big man is nothing new.

For as much praise as Karl-Anthony Towns receives, and rightfully so, it’s easy to forget how versatile and dominating Anthony Davis is. The NBA GMs forgot, as the majority picked four other players to start a team with this season over Davis.

But Anthony Davis isn’t one of the best young big men in the game because of two games, because quick starts to the season are his thing.

His ability to somehow block threes while he’s nowhere near the shooter when they start to rise up, single-handedly keep the Pelicans in a game against Golden State, and split Draymond Green – Kevin Durant double-teams to get a layup is what makes him so special.

Next: Top 10 Point Guards in 2016-17

There’s no way to guard him and he’s unstoppable on defense. Anthony Davis just likes to remind everyone of that at the start of every year.