2. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Earlier I mentioned it was possible to be a great defensive player on a poor defensive team. The Pelicans are that, currently owning the 24th worst defense in the league, giving up 107.4 points per 100 possessions.
The truth is that things don’t improve drastically with Davis on the floor as opposed to when he is off. Yet, that proves that plus/minus rating is a faulty statistic in basketball (though it does have some value, some of the time).
It’s fair to say that, because it’s fair to say that Anthony Davis is an outstanding defensive player. Without him, the Pelicans might own the worst defense in the NBA. It’s not just his 2.9 blocks per game–which obviously is quite impressive.
But he also averages 1.4 steals per contest. And if you watch Pelicans games it seems like he gets his hands on way more passes and errant dribbles than that.
Everyone knows Davis is a freak. That’s no secret. Probably no play better identifies Anthony Davis in a nutshell than this one.
He stays with point guard Deron Williams at the top of the key one-on-one. When Williams crosses him over solidly and looks like he has Davis beat, that’s when AD pulls out his greatest weapon–his length.
He swats the shot and turns it into two easy points. And frankly, this isn’t all that extraordinary for the 2011 college player of year and No. 1 overall pick. It’s part of the reason he’s already a two-time All-Star.
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