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Look out, Pelicans’ Anthony Davis will be shooting threes soon

By Tom West

Mar 15, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) reacts after scoring against the Denver Nuggets in the fourth quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Nuggets defeated the Pelicans 118-111 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) reacts after scoring against the Denver Nuggets in the fourth quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Nuggets defeated the Pelicans 118-111 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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New Orleans Pelican star Anthony Davis has been working on his three-pointer this offseason.

Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans is one of the most frightening talents in the NBA. Not just because of his incredible ability as a two-way player, but because of the fact he’s dominating the league at just 21 years of age. He shouldn’t be able to do so much already, yet he continues to prove just how diverse his game is. And now, he’s planning on adding a three point shot to his already impressive offensive arsenal.

As if the thought of how good Anthony Davis can become wasn’t terrifying enough already.

However, in a Q+A with SLAM, the cornerstone of the Pelicans discussed numerous topics, including how he feels about developing a three point shot. Here’s his response when asked if we can expect him to step out beyond the arc and take more threes next season:

"“I’m going to mix it up. I love playing down low, but at the same time, if the opportunity is there; I’m definitely going to take them. That’s one thing for sure that coach Gentry has told me—“Shoot the ball,” “Let it go.” I’ve been working on it and I’m very confident in my game.I’ve shot three’s all my life. I didn’t really need to shoot them over the past few years as much, but I’m never going to turn down shooting threes, especially if the coach tells me he wants me to shoot them. It’s something that I’ve definitely been working on. I definitely plan on utilizing it this year.”"

When the rest of the league hears that, the idea of playing the Pelicans will be even more nerve-wrecking. They aren’t exactly one of the top contenders in the Western Conference yet, although with Anthony Davis leading the way, they’re always a threat to surprise the NBA’s top teams. That’s just how good he is.

From being a two-time league leader in blocks per game, to recording the best player efficiency rating in the NBA (30.8) last season, he’s a nightmare to handle. He left college as a freakish athlete with telescopic-like arms to swat shots, but an undeveloped offense at the time. Now, he’s become the league’s fourth top scorer with an average of 24.4 points per game.

Apr 23, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) shoots over Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (12) during the first quarter in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 23, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) shoots over Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (12) during the first quarter in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Davis has gradually expanded his range over his three-year career, and took a career high 28.9 percent of his field goal attempts from 16 feet out to the three point line last season. He even made them at a 41.9 percent rate, which was higher than Blake Griffin, Tim Duncan and even LaMarcus Aldridge.

Not bad for a 21 one year old who used to just be a shot blocking master.

That isn’t the only area of the floor where Anthony Davis’ efficiency is at an elite level for a 6’10” power forward, though. He made 45.1 percent of his shots from 10-16 feet out, and used his growing strength and long arms to finish a highly impressive 73.4 percent of his shots within three feet.

To add some context, that’s just 0.5 percent lower than DeAndre Jordan’s shooting percentage within three feet. And seeing as he does virtually nothing more than dunk, it says a lot about the effectiveness of Davis’ finishing ability and close-quarter post moves.

But let’s get back to three pointers.

Remember that ridiculous, double-clutch buzzer beater to take down the Oklahoma City Thunder in February? That was from about three feet behind the three point line.

He won’t be knocking down those kind of shots on a consistent basis yet, as he’s only made a mere 3 three pointers in his entire NBA career. However, if he applies the same drive to increase his range as he has to gaining muscle, we can certainly expect Davis’ shooting to expand beyond 16 feet this year.

When that starts happening, his 24.4 points per game could quickly become 26. And from there, who knows what numbers he could put up. With new head coach Alvin Gentry telling Davis to “shoot the ball” and “let it go”, the Pelicans’ offense may even be able to improve upon it’s 9th place ranking.

So, if Anthony Davis says that he “definitely” plans on utilizing his improved three point shot this year, can you really question him? After his remarkable growth in such a short amount of time, it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising if we see him trouble defenders with a long range jumper in the upcoming season.

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