New Orleans Pelicans Rank: Anthony Davis Roundtable
Apr 23, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis against the Golden State Warriors before game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
What part of AD’s game needs the most improvement?
Austin: He is so well-rounded in his game, there isn’t anything that he is really bad at. If he wanted to be absolutely unstoppable, he could stand to get a tighter handle, but for guys with that size and frame it is impossible not to dribble high and be loose with it. The shooting is getting to be absolute fire for him, but it isn’t all the way to being lights out yet. Adding a three-point jumper would add to the arsenal as well. These are all things that he already does pretty well, but isn’t exceptional at yet.
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Nathan: First off, if Anthony Davis never progressed past this point, he would still be a top three player in the league for the next decade. But since we’re being greedy, I’d love to see him develop a more refined post game. I know, the league is moving away from it, but I can’t help but think the Pelicans will be more successful the more Davis has the ball. While I definitely don’t want him slowing the game to a crawl and demanding the ball in the post on every possession, running the offense through Davis in the post every few sets lets the team ride on his shoulders for stretches. If Davis can develop solid moves and a knack for passing out, he could be truly unstoppable.
Brendon: It’s a funny thing to think about what a player who just finished the 11th-best individual season in league history by PER even being able to improve. But when you consider that the said player is 23 years old, only about eight years into playing as a forward/center, and becoming the terrifying centerpiece in a creative offense, it’s understandable that you would begin reenacting a 1980s bomb drill and hide under the nearest desk. To continue scaring people, Davis’ best bet is two-pronged. Develop increased off the bounce scoring skills and better his placement and movement on the defensive end. I always point to Marc Gasol as someone who has mastered the use of his body and mobility on the defensive end, and I think a little Kevin Durant-type pull-up game would push AD’s game to another level.
Rick: Anthony Davis has yet to be the perfect NBA player. In reality, every single player ever could improve…yes even LeBron or AD. The one thing that I always wonder when watching Davis is can he become one of the better passing bigs in the game. He gets the ball so much that under three assists per game seems kind of low. How big of an impact it would make if not only was he feared for his ability to attack and score in any way, but if he could also find the open player twice as often while being a defensive nightmare? I’m not saying he should look to shoot the ball less or attack the basket less, but if the team is looking to set another player up, it would be nice for them to have the confidence that AD could find that player with a dime a little more often.
Matt: I actually think Davis has a lot of room to grow defensively. The blocks numbers are fine but it feels like AD could be around as a rim protector even more than he has so far in his career. Blocking jumpers is unique and a nice weapon to have but at times I think the fact that AD blocks so many of them masks how much room he has to grow as a true rim protecting force.
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