Anthony Davis is one of the best players in the NBA. That’s something you don’t have to really elaborate on. Nevertheless, he can hurt the New Orleans Pelicans at times, and there’s one reason for that. Three-pointers.
Adding the ability to hit threes was a great move that made Anthony Davis truly an all-around threat. This addition to his game was even more important when you consider how few three-point threats the Pelicans have had in recent years. It hasn’t come without its fair share of problems, however.
Last season, Davis took 134 threes, making just 40 of them. That’s a measly 29.9% from behind the arc. Still, the threat of the three gave the Pelicans some extra spacing and definitely made a difference in some games.
This season, things will be a little different. DeMarcus Cousins has truly mastered the three-point game. Last season Cousins took 363 threes, making 131 of them. This comes out to a 36.1% clip.
Clearly, Cousins has his three-point shot down much better than Davis does.
It doesn’t really seem necessary to have both bigs spreading the floor so much, especially with both of them being so good down low.
With Cousins being the better deep threat, Davis should take to the paint much more often. He’s a dominant rebounder and is incredibly adept close to the rim.
This should lead to more rebounds for him, as well as an even better shooting percentage.
Overall, Davis should see a spike in his numbers. Meanwhile, the Pelicans should benefit heavily from this.
Now, this isn’t an argument for Davis to completely disappear from the three-point line. It’s just a call for him to cut back. Although the 1.8 three-point attempts he averaged per game last year isn’t exactly high, he could still cut back. Still showing he’s a threat to shoot if left open but focusing more on his inside game.
In the Pelicans first preseason game, Davis chucked up five threes, hitting one. Technically, this is the perfect time for him to be given free rein from deep. He’s given a chance to show any improvement in the area and could get the bugs out now.
With that being said, seeing more of a focus on his offensive rebounding and low-post moves for the rest of the preseason would be a very positive sign.
With players like Ian Clark and Darius Miller being added to the roster, the Pelicans have a few more deep threats. Meanwhile, it’s DeMarcus Cousins who is most adept at spacing the floor with his three-point game.
Next: Battle for the backup ball handler is on for the New Orleans Pelicans
With extra three-point shooters and a big man who has mastered the game, it’s time for Anthony Davis to take a few steps in.