Pelica Debrief
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This is the season for Anthony Davis’ defensive leap

By Charles LaRocca

April 18, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23, left) blocks the shot of Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23, right) during the first quarter in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Pelicans 106-99. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
April 18, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23, left) blocks the shot of Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23, right) during the first quarter in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Pelicans 106-99. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Welcome to AD week here at Pelican Debrief. This week, our work will focus on the league’s most peculiar specimen and one of its greatest players, Anthony Davis. 

This is a make or break season for Anthony Davis on the defensive side of the ball.

Looking to rebound after a very disappointing season that saw the team fall massively short of internal and external expectations, the New Orleans Pelicans seem now to be making a concerted effort to shore up their defense. Replacing defensive turnstiles Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon with versatile defenders like Solomon Hill, E’Twaun Moore, and Langston Galloway should help. However, the main cog in getting the Pelicans back to the postseason and in the top half of the league’s defensive rankings is superstar Anthony Davis ascending into the defensive anchor he was destined to become.

When examining the current Pelicans roster, it is clear that there is an obvious lack of rim protection outside of Davis, unless you consider a 30-year old Omer Asik coming off his worst professional season a plus in that department. Now, when simply looking at Anthony Davis’ blocks per game, he appears an obvious elite option, but once you dig deeper into the numbers, there is obvious room for improvement both in that regard and on the defensive end as a whole.

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Now, Davis was highly touted as a franchise changing big at the defensive end by many in the media. Before even finding success in the NBA, Davis was compared favorably to Bill Russell, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan.

So why, despite earning such high praise coming into the league, has Davis not expanded his defensive prowess past being an elite shot blocker and help defender? There are a multitude of reasons, the most obvious being the lackluster personnel put next to Davis. Throughout his five-year career, Anthony Davis has never been able to play heavy minutes with a good perimeter defending guard, with Jrue Holiday’s own injury problems limiting their time on the court together. That lack of talent doesn’t completely absolve Davis though, as defensive lapses and a lack of awareness do creep up from time to time.

Instead of realizing that he has no help, he decides to play LeBron James up close, which causes him to get blown by with no backside help. Fixing little things like these is that will transform Davis into a great defender.

However, Anthony Davis has shown amazing flashes of brilliance that have left NBA fans salivating at the idea that he is not even close to reaching his peak. Here is a very difficult play where Davis stops the pick and roll with his incredible ability to play the passing lanes, and he’s still able to rotate over back to his man

Despite the occasional lack of awareness, Anthony Davis was still an effective rim protector last season. Per NBA.com, Davis forced opponents to shoot 4.6% worse than the league average at the rim. Where Davis often struggles on defense is when he is being asked to switch onto another player.

Nylon Calculus’ rim protection statistics place Anthony Davis near the bottom of the league. In fact, out of all the Pelicans’ big men, he ranked only ahead of Ryan Anderson in points saved at the rim. This can be partially attributed to poor perimeter defense; Davis would often find himself caught behind screens or forced to hedge up high, allowing himself to get blown by instead of trusting his length. Another issue with Davis over-extending himself up high on those plays is that he is the Pelicans’ only true rim protector, so teams drawing him out onto the perimeter essentially takes him out of position by defending high. Heres’s an example:

Instead of recognizing Norris Cole is going to go under Ricky Rubio, Davis stays stationary, allowing Karl-Anthony Towns the space to drive by him. Davis is probably anticipating a handoff, but by playing so high up and not communicating well with Cole, he runs into him and loses the chance to recover.

The lack of communication with teammates on defense has been a constant issue for Davis.  An underrated factor in the Pelicans playoff run two years ago was their improved defense after the All-Star break. Coaches at the time credited that improved defense to the addition of Quincy Pondexter and his constant communication on defense. The lack of communication this past season was evident, especially considering the lack of continuity that resulted due from the tidal wave of injuries.

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This lack of familiarity with certain teammates is likely a factor in why Davis often appeared inconsistent in pick and roll coverage. Great defensive teams rely so much on rotations being crisp, and given the Pelicans constant lineup changes, it would have been hard to accomplish that. With that being said, Davis deserves a considerable portion of the blame, as the team once again finished near the top of the league in field goal percentage at the rim this year. They ended third highest in that category.

With the Pelicans once again struggling to contain shots at the rim, it’s now fair to question the defensive effectiveness of Davis and Omer Asik together. When Asik is on the court, his inability to defend in space draws Davis away from the rim, neutralizing his most elite defensive skill.

Entering his fifth year with possibly the best set of defenders he’s played with, it’s time for Anthony Davis to establish himself as a dominant force on the defensive side of the ball. Assuming the Pelicans play small more often this season and Davis makes the move to a more full-time center, this should be the year where we get an accurate idea of what direction Davis is going defensively. Is he closer to Serge Ibaka or Tim Duncan on that end?  Pelicans fans may finally get the answer.

Next: Did the offseason provide real defensive help?

Neither is bad though, but the defensive side of the ball is where Anthony Davis has the potential to become an all-time great. But the thing with potential is that eventually that starts to become a word with more negative connotation than good. It is time for Davis to start showcasing it on both sides, and if he does, the Pelicans may find themselves back in the playoffs sooner than many think.

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