Some of the younger generations may not have a good understanding of just how talented David West was during the prime of his career due to the ring-chasing tactic he implemented towards the end of it, but don’t get it twisted, the two-time All-Star was a problem playing for the New Orleans Hornets.
An undersized power forward at just 6-9, West more than made up for his size with his incredible strength at around 250 pounds of pure muscle, with shoulders that looked as if they’d been puffed up to a staggering size.
This advantage helped him down low where he found success posting up and powering through defenders enough to consistently get to the free-throw line, where he shot a sparkling 83.9 percent in eight seasons with the Hornets.
Even with the ability to simply go through the opposition, he mixed his inside game with a nearly automatic mid-range jumper. Capable of facing up and firing away, he and Chris Paul formed a tremendous two-man game, with West converting on seemingly every pass from his point guard, creating headaches for defenses who didn’t know what to stop first.
West would serve as the Robin to CP3’s Batman, with his lowest per game scoring average over a six-year span being just 17.1, always a dependable option when it came time to get a bucket, whether it be from the elbow or around the basket.
He doesn’t have the accolades to back up what was truly an impressive offensive arsenal, but West was a nightly problem for opposing teams who couldn’t seem to find a defender capable of both corraling him on the perimeter and keeping him out of the restricted area.