New Orleans Pelicans Season Outlook: Anthony Davis’ Time to Shine
After a disappointing season overshadowed by injuries, Anthony Davis is looking for his time to shine for the New Orleans Pelicans.
One year after entering the 2015-2016 season as a trendy pick to make a playoff run, Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans look forward to having a more successful season.
Riddled with injuries and inconsistent play, the Pelicans could not seem to get on the right track last year. For the team to make a bigger impact in the Western Conference, Davis must stay healthy and perform at the MVP level fans are expecting to see from him.
Of course, the Pelicans will miss having the three-point shooting of Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon. They will also be without Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday for a portion of the season, due to injury and personal reasons respectively.
Even with the additions of Solomon Hill, E’Twaun Moore and Buddy Hield, Anthony Davis will be the key. It is up to him to lead this team to more success.
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Although the presence of Hill and Moore will add more defensive consistency on the wing, Davis’ impact is greater on the defensive end of the floor. Buddy Hield’s presence will also add more offensive firepower, but Davis is their main option on the offensive end. Safe to say, nearly every facet of this team’s play goes through Anthony Davis.
Even though he missed nearly 20 games last year, Davis still managed to average 24 points and 10 rebounds a game. He also served as a defensive anchor for the Pelicans, leading the team with two blocks a contest. There is no question that he is the superstar of the New Orleans Pelicans and the team is much better with him on the court.
The problem is that he has not played more than 68 games since he has been in the league. The Pelicans monitored Davis’ usage during the preseason, so he could avoid any setbacks after undergoing knee surgery in March.
Unfortunately, he still managed to suffer an ankle sprain during their October 12th preseason tilt against Houston. The injury did not sideline him long, but it is still a reminder of his history of bumps and bruises.
Aside from injuries, there is nothing else that can prevent Davis from having a successful season. He has turned into one of the best NBA players in a short amount of time and evolved his game by a significant amount.
Far from the traditional big man, Davis has a top tier inside and outside offensive game. He also is a great ball-handler, considering that he mainly plays power forward and center.
One of the biggest knocks on Davis in past years was his body strength. However, it is easy to see he spent time working on his strength and conditioning, in order to play center more often throughout the season. With more muscle added to his body frame, he will be a more productive player inside the post. He will also be able to keep his shooting ability from mid-range.
New coach and former Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry has implemented the Warriors up-tempo style of play. This offense hopefully will allow Davis to take more advantage of his rare blend of speed and shooting range as a front court player.
Next: New Orleans Pelicans Season Outlook: Jrue Holiday
We can expect another great season out of Anthony Davis, as he looks to get the Pelicans back into the playoff picture. Many writers and experts are not expecting the Pelicans to have that much success, but it is not smart to write off a team led by a superstar of Anthony Davis’ caliber. His skills are widely unmatched and it will not be surprising to see him have the best season of his career so far. If Davis can avoid nagging injuries, he can prove to everyone why he is a MVP candidate.