Fansided

The most important player on each and every NBA team this season

By Ti Windisch

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers defended by Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers defended by Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 28: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots a free throw during the game against the Golden State Warriors in Game One of Round Two of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 28, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 28: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots a free throw during the game against the Golden State Warriors in Game One of Round Two of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 28, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

New Orleans Pelicans — Anthony Davis

Most NBA teams would have a lot of trouble in the postseason if they lost a player like DeMarcus Cousins during the regular season. Thanks to Anthony Davis, the Pelicans are not most NBA teams.

The loss of Boogie didn’t hamper New Orleans much in the first round, as the Pelicans swept the Portland Trail Blazers to kick off the 2018 NBA Playoffs. The Pellies got strong contributions from Jrue Holiday and Nikola Mirotic, but The Brow clearly was the biggest factor leading to New Orleans’ dominant series.

Davis averaged 33.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.8 blocks per game in the sweep, while shooting 57.6 percent from the field and 30.0 percent from deep. Nobody on the Blazers could do anything to stymie Davis, probably because there really isn’t anybody in the NBA who can truly hinder him.

Since the day he was drafted, Davis has been the most important Pelican. New Orleans generally hasn’t been very good in his six NBA seasons, but there’s no doubting Anthony Davis’ importance to the only franchise he’s known.

This was another no-brainer decision. Without Davis, the Pelicans would be just hopeless. With him, they were good enough to beat the third seed in the West in four games. There’s no second star in NOLA right now, so it really all falls on Davis’ shoulders. Again.

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