NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis Needs The Pelicans To Back Him With Talent
When Anthony Davis declared last week that he was the best player in the NBA, it sent a shockwave through the league and forced every pundit to re-evaluate their Top 5. While it’s hard to give Davis the title as long as Lebron James and Kevin Durant are appearing in the Finals on an annual basis, beyond those two stars who are both beyond their 30th birthday, there is a real discussion that Davis is the best of the rest, according to reports from Sports Illustrated.
The 25-year-old Davis and his ubiquitous unibrow has certainly been making a case for himself when healthy. Already the best center in the league when considering the NBA’s modern definition of the position, Davis may overtake Kawhi Leonard as the league’s best two-way player, which could happen even if Leonard returns fully healthy to his dominant ways in Toronto. While New Orleans got little attention on the national stage despite his partnership with all-star DeMarcus Cousins, Davis forced everyone to take notice as he turned the Portland Trailblazers from dark horses to laughingstocks in the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs with a dominant performance. It was the biggest moment of his career so far, and now it’s up to the Pelicans to make sure it isn’t the high-point of his time in New Orleans.
Davis’ first eight seasons with the Pelicans were a one-man show, where Davis shouldered the load of a mediocre team that often finished just outside of the playoffs, bar one season. That changed last year when New Orleans had lined up DeMarcus Cousins, Nikola Mirotic, Rajon Rondo, and a healthy Jrue Holiday alongside Davis, making the team an outside threat in the Western Conference. Things were looking good as the Pelicans pulled off some long winning streaks with Davis and Cousins both putting up big numbers. Even when Cousins went down with a season-ending injury in late January, the Pelicans were still able to get into the playoffs comfortably. There the Pelicans swept aside the Blazers with ease before falling to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors.
While last season was a good opportunity to build, the Pelicans will be facing stiff competition for playoff spots in this year’s Western Conference. Losing both DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo will be major blows to the franchise. With the likes of Elfrid Payton, E’Twaun Moore, and Solomon Hill being productive role players at their highest potential, the real question that will define the Pelicans’ season is how Davis meshes with free agent signee Julius Randle. The former Los Angeles Laker has some big shoes to fill as Cousin’s replacement. Cousins and Davis meshed well because Cousins was able to be a scoring threat from outside of the paint, drifting away while Davis dominated the interior. Randle hasn’t proven the same capabilities so far, but he has never been paired with such a talented big man.
The ceiling for the Pelicans is noticeably lower despite their playoff success and it all comes down to the regression of the roster. If Holiday and Mirotic take a step beyond any reasonable expectations, there is a small chance the Pelicans could be a threat for the Western Conference Finals but that is a major if. There is no doubt that New Orleans took a step backward, and with Davis eligible for free agency in 2020, another underachieving year may force Davis to look at a future outside of Louisiana.
