There have been quite a few times this season when the New Orleans Pelicans could’ve packed it up. No one really would’ve blamed them either. Anthony Davis has not only guided them on a clear path to the playoffs, but he’s poising them to make legitimate noise. However, the MVP numbers he’s putting up might end up not being enough to get him that trophy.
On Tuesday night, Anthony Davis did what he’s done quite often as of late. He willed the New Orleans Pelicans to a big win (this time against the Los Angeles Clippers). The 24-year-old put up 41 points on 54.8% shooting (including 4-of-7 from deep). He added 13 rebounds to go along with four blocks and three steals as well.
On Wednesday morning I got this text from a friend:
"“Dude, is Anthony Davis [gonna] sneak in and win mvp?”"
This is a great question that many people will scoff off. The numbers are there. Davis is averaging 28.1 points per game on 53.7% from the field, as well as 36.2% from three and 82.7% from the foul line. He’s grabbing 11.1 rebounds per game to go along with 2.3 blocks and 1.5 steals.
The Brow also has a ridiculous EIGHTEEN 30-point and 10-rebound games. Of those 18, eight are 40/10 games, and of those eight, one is a 50/10 game.
What’s most impressive though is that Davis always finds a way to impact a game positively for New Orleans.
In the Pelicans win against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, Davis left early with an ankle injury. Due to that, he played just 23 minutes. In that time though, he managed to still pick up two steals and five blocks to go along with a solid 17 points.
There’s the team success as well. Currently riding a 10-game winning-streak, the Pelicans are 38-26. That’s good enough for fourth place in the Western Conference (0.5 games behind the Portland Trailblazers for third place). 38-26 is also tied for the sixth best record in all of the NBA.
Then there’s the team around him. Now, the supporting cast of Davis isn’t nearly as bad as some people like to pretend. That being said, it still isn’t phenomenal.
Jrue Holiday is a stud. He’s elite defensively and has realized his potential offensively. Meanwhile, Rajon Rondo is starting to get comfortable, dishing out plenty of assists without turning the ball over.
After those two though, things get murky in the backcourt. E’Twaun Moore has had a great year, but looks lost defensively on way too many occasions. This is odd as he came into the year as a solid defender. His offense has been great though and when he gets hot he’s extremely dangerous.
Then there’s Ian Clark, who will either give you terrible or fantastic minutes. Frankly, it’s a roll of the dice.
Darius Miller‘s been a little cold from three but is still a legitimate deep-threat. He’s also underrated in many other aspects of his game.
With Davis down low there’s Emeka Okafor, as well as Nikola Mirotic and Cheick Diallo.
Diallo plays the most sparingly, but he’s shown when given real minutes he can be an asset. Okafor has been wonderful since returning to the Pelicans. He gives them a legitimate bruiser and rim-protector to keep the pressure off Davis.
Finally, there’s Mirotic. He’s not elite defensively, but that’s definitely an underrated part of his game. He can space the floor with his three-point shooting and isn’t bad on the block either.
Now, with all the question marks that this roster possesses, one things remains clear; without Davis this is definitely not a playoff team.
So all the criteria is filled out, and Anthony Davis is the MVP, right?
Wait, let’s look at the top of the standings quick. James Harden has the Houston Rockets sitting there with a 51-13 record, the best in the NBA.
Now, Harden has a better roster than Davis, there’s no arguing that. His team is still infinitely better with him though. Averaging 30.9 points and 8.9 assists per game make that previous statement obvious.
It also won’t help Davis’ case that many people feel Harden has been robbed of the MVP twice already in his career. Besides, he already has his “MVP-moment” with that disgusting ankle-breaking of Wesley Johnson.
That stare down was brutal.
Look over the past ten games and I bet you can find a few “MVP-moments” for Davis though. Perhaps that offensive rebound and made free throws against the San Antonio Spurs to ice the game? No, it’s not as sexy as literally making someone fall down with a crossover, but it was infinitely more important in the game.
At the moment, the obvious choice for most is James Harden. That’s fair enough as he’s clearly playing to the level of an MVP. Maybe this just isn’t the year for Anthony Davis. This is just an unattainable MVP that he’s chasing.
Next: New Orleans Pelicans: Third Term Report Cards
People still love to talk about the robbery of Harden in the past though. Who’s to say this won’t catapult Davis into that discussion too.