After yet another disappointing season, is it fair to start wondering if Anthony Davis will ever make the New Orleans Pelicans relevant?
With a new NBA season just around the bend, one player you don’t hear much about anymore is Anthony Davis. The team he plays on, the New Orleans Pelicans, had an awful season last year. They finished with a 30-52 record, which was the 12th best in the Western Conference.
This was unfortunate, mainly because Davis put together an MVP-caliber season. He averaged 24.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 49 percent from the field.
The main problem the Pelicans ran into last year — aside from injuries — was a disconnect between coaching philosophy and the talent on the team. New head coach Alvin Gentry did his best to employ a fast-paced style of play. This was much different than what the Pelicans were used to under former head coach Monty Williams.
This game-plan clashed badly with the makeup of their roster. They were one of the worst defensive teams in the league, finishing fifth overall in opponent points per game, and sixth overall in opponents’ three-point percentage.
This was especially surprising considering the Pelicans were counting on Davis and Omer Asik being a dominant defensive duo. Sadly, the NBA has shifted more towards small-ball lineups and outside shooting.
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This makes Asik a tough fit. He is not gifted offensively, and he is more a plodding, slower-paced defensive big man who concentrates on guarding the post.
It is no secret that the West is absolutely packed with talented teams. It’s hard to imagine the playoff picture from last year changing drastically this year. There might be one, maybe two teams that fall off and give teams like the Pelicans a chance to grab the seventh or eighth seed.
Pelican Debrief
The Houston Rockets will most likely struggle. After all, they lost Dwight Howard, hired Mike D’Antoni, and announced James Harden will take over point guard duties. These moves could mean that they are in for a disastrous season.
It remains to be seen how well the Oklahoma City Thunder will be after Kevin Durant ditched them this past summer. Sure, Russell Westbrook’s individual stats might go up, but the Thunder might not be as good under his watch as many are expecting.
But it seems like no one is considering the Pelicans to be a playoff team coming into this season. Teams like the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves are getting plenty of buzz, but you don’t hear anything about the Pelicans.
And you can’t really blame anyone for not talking about them either. Outside of Davis, their roster isn’t exactly impressive. There are still many questions concerning Tyreke Evans, who is currently injured, being a long-term fit at the small forward spot. Jrue Holiday will also most likely miss a lot of games in order to be with his wife, who is currently battling a brain tumor.
There is a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the Pelicans, but Davis needs to take charge and overcome all of this adversity. He is certainly being overlooked right now, and it seems as though Karl-Anthony Towns has stolen a lot of his spotlight in terms of who the best future big man is in the league.
Davis needs to take all of this personally. After all, this is HIS team. One guy he should look to is LeBron James. Earlier in his career James was expected to consistently carry weak supporting casts to the playoffs. And he did a very good job overall. He got the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2007 when the second best player on the team was Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
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No one is expecting Davis to take the Pelicans to the Finals this year. However, at the very least he should be expected to get this team to the playoffs. Davis has to make the Pelicans competitive and respected, year in and year out, from this point on.
He can’t afford to fall into DeMarcus Cousins territory, where his amazing play is wasted on a team that isn’t going anywhere.
Unlike Cousins, Davis doesn’t pout and alienate his teammates by yelling at them whenever they do something wrong. He actually has what it takes to be a leader and to carry this team to at least the seventh seed this season.
There is no question that he has a lot on his plate, and that the rest of his supporting cast is far from intimidating.
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But in order for Davis to reach his full potential as one of the best guys to ever play the game, he must be prepared to take on this challenge head-on coming into this season.