Pelicans Rumors: 3 reasons why David Griffin should let Anthony Davis go

#2) Anthony Davis’ injury history

It may seem unfair to pick on Anthony Davis for this, especially since it is technically out of his power. However, Davis has missed a total of 108 games since his rookie season back in 2012-13. Those missed games came from a plethora of injuries, all spread out, so it’s not like it was just one major injury that caused missed time. Things were looking better for the big man, who played at least 75 games in consecutive seasons in 2016/17 and 2017/18—but he followed up these campaigns with twenty-six games missed in 2018/19.

When he’s on the court, he compiles stats that are comparable to NBA legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Davis averages 23.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 1.4 steals on 51.7% shooting from the field for his career. Though his numbers are otherworldly, he also misses an average of 15 games per season. In a loaded Western Conference, those missed games can be the difference of a playoff berth or an extended offseason.

In seasons where Davis misses more than seven games, the Pelicans have made the playoffs once. And that one season in 2015/16 was as an eighth seed via tiebreak, where Davis missed 21 games.

That’s not saying this will be a continued trend for the remaining duration of his career, he could turn into an NBA iron man and enjoy health and success from here on out. And we should wish no ill feelings toward him, but the proof is in the pudding. Davis has missed a lot of time. And with a roster that desperately needs him on the court to find success, he has struggled to stay off the injured list.