These days, it takes a lot for Anthony Davis to surprise us. That's what happens when you're a 22-year-old athletic freak leading the league in PER (31.67), averaging 24.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game and helping your team duke it out with the star-laden Thunder in the battle for the Western Conference's final playoff spot. You're almost surprised if a Pelicans game goes by that doesn't include at least one breathtaking only-he-could-pull-that-off play from Davis.
The 5 best plays from Anthony Davis’ near quadruple-double
The Brow went off with a 36-point, 14-rebound, 9-block, 7-assist performance Sunday night. Here’s a look at and breakdown of his five most impressive plays.
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
That’s how good Davis has been this year. An argument could be made that no one in the league has been better.
And yet, somehow, Davis managed to surprise again Sunday night in the Pelicans' 118-111 double overtime loss to the Nuggets. That's what a near-quadruple-double will do. Davis finished the game with 36 points, 14 rebounds, nine blocks and seven assists. He played 49 minutes and 51 seconds. He hit 16 of his 28 shots from the field and turned the ball over just twice. That New Orleans couldn't pull out the victory against the resurgent Nuggets is on the rest of the Pelicans, not The Brow.
It was an incredible performance, full of incredible plays. Below is a breakdown of the five most impressive, and why each of them gets that title.
1. Super Freak ... with smarts
Let’s start with the athleticism because that’s where Davis’ greatness stems from. He’s a 6’11 man with a 7’4 wingspan. He jumps as if his legs are pogo sticks and runs like a man half his height. The NBA has never seen a player with Davis’ combination of size and athleticism.
But what separates Davis from, say, the Tyrus Thomas types, is his basketball IQ. The play above is a perfect example. Watch what Davis does as Nuggets guard Will Barton begins to probe the paint. Instead of immediately abandoning his man, Kenneth Faried, Davis only takes a few steps towards Barton. That's all it takes to make Barton hesitate.
Davis then turns to check on Faried to make sure he hasn't darted away. Only after Barton commits to shooting the ball does Davis come over to block it. And when he does, he doesn't swat the ball out of bounds. Instead Davis hits in the direction of Pelicans guard Norris Cole, creating an extra possession for his team.
Then, sensing that the man guarding him, Faried, is lagging behind, Davis sprints towards the basket. The alley-oop is thrown and Davis’ Monstar-like athleticism allows him to catch the errant pass and slam it home.
All of that, though, is created by Davis’ basketball IQ. It’s this mesh of smarts and athleticism that has vaulted Davis into the MVP race in just his third year in the league.
2. There’s more than one way to block a shot
We know Davis can chase players down and block shots from behind. We know he’s probably the best in the league at coming over from the opposite side to turn an attempt away.
But this kind of swat is a whole different animal. Faried is not exactly one of the game’s top post players, but he’s developing and takes shots he can make. The baby-hook shot that he attempts here is specifically designed to not get blocked. Clearly, that didn’t work out, but only a player with Davis’ combination of length, athleticism, timing and smarts could have pulled this type of block off.
3. He can shoot now, too
This is where Davis has made the greatest strides. Below is his shot chart from this season.
And here’s his shot chart from last year. Notice the difference in the mid-range area.
Davis is now a knock-down mid-range shooter. His form is textbook and he’s comfortable shooting from anywhere on the court. The highlights we see of him might mostly be comprised of dunks, but don’t let that fool you. This is how he’s getting the majority of his points.
Here’s his shot chart from Sunday night’s game:
Most of his field-goal attempts came from outside the paint. This has pretty much made Davis unguardable. It's also allowed him to become a great late-game option, as the video at the start of this section illustrates. He looks like a guard in that clip. You can imagine Kobe Bryant taking a similar type of shot.
4. Left is right
The video above is a perfect example of Davis' maturation and what the feathery jump shot is now opening up for him. First, there's the patience, which is actually be the most impressive thing in the clip. After sliding over to set a pick for Tyreke Evans, Davis receives the ball right at the foul line and in a crowd. There are three Nuggets defenders around him. But instead of panicking and passing the ball off, Davis takes a second, gathers himself and waits for the court to open up.
Then, because of how well he’d been shooting the ball all night, Faried feels the need to body Davis up. Davis responds with a pivot and a dribble to the left. He then uses his length to create some space and finishes with his off-hand.
There is nothing Faried could have done differently. This is just a great play from a great player. It should be illegal for 6’11 forwards to drive and finish with their weak hands.
And now that Davis can, there really is no way for opponents to guard Pelicans pick-and-rolls. We know that Davis can roll to the rim for an alley-oop and we know he can pick-and-pop and knock down that jump shot. But now Davis is showing the ability to put the ball on the floor after receiving that pass ... jeez. It’s an unfair array of skills for one player to have.
5. Sharing is caring
You know what else Davis can do off the pick-and-roll? Pass.
That goes back to the patience that he now has and how comfortable he now is on the court. There’s no panic in Davis’ game because everything seems to be happening slowly in his mind. That’s how you find open teammates despite being in a crowd. This is one of those things that can’t be taught: either you have it or you don’t.
Whether Davis actually deserves the assist that he got here is a fair question to ask (nothing like some home-cooked game scoring), but that’s not important. Davis is transforming, or, rather, has already transformed, into a complete player capable of doing anything on the court. He can shoot and drive, dribble and pass. He can create points for himself and for others.
And what should terrify the rest of the league is that Davis appears to still be getting better.
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