When the New Orleans Pelicans selected former Kentucky Wildcats’ big man Anthony Davis with the number one overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the hope was he would be the superstar they needed. After he was named the Naismith Player of the Year in college basketball for the 2011-2012 season and led the Wildcats to National Title, that may have been a fair expectation. Davis has lived up to the hype so far and at just 21 years old, he is already an All-Star and looks like he will make the jump to superstardom as soon as soon as next season.
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As unfair as it may be, there has already been talk about the Pelicans’ inability to put enough talent around Davis (it’s only been two years!) and there has also been discussion about Davis moving to a bigger market.
However, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders believes Davis isn’t going anywhere.
"Anthony Davis isn’t going anywhere. Aside from LeBron James and Kevin Durant, I think Davis is the most untouchable player in the league. Everyone believes he’s going to be a superstar and he’s already so good for a 21-year-old. The Pelicans aren’t moving him."
The Pelicans have tried to put talent around Davis. Two years ago, they completed a sign-and-trade to acquire Orlando Magic power forward Ryan Anderson and also dealt for Philadelphia 76ers’ point guard Jrue Holiday, a former All-Star. Both players suffered injuries last year so it is unfair to really judge the talent on the roster. Plus, they just added center Omer Asik from the Houston Rockets.
Davis averaged 20.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 51.9% from the field, 22.2% from three and 79.1% from the free throw line.