The Nutshell 11/27: Anthony Davis has made the leap

Anthony Davis might be the NBA’s next great power forward

When the New Orleans Pelicans play, you can’t miss Anthony Davis. Last night against Golden State, he picked up his fourth foul with 9:48 left in the 4th quarter. He returned with 6:48 left and simply took over the game. He tied the game at 93 with 3:21 left and racked up 7 points and 3 rebounds in the final minutes. With 1:27 remaining, Davis made a play that really defines his game. After a Warriors timeout, Klay Thompson missed a 14-foot jumper and rebound went right to Davis. He gave the ball up to Tyreke Evans, sprinted out ahead of all his teammates, and reached the paint before most of the Warriors could get in position. Evans drove to the hoop and missed the layup, a normal occurrence for him this season. Davis was in perfect position though and slammed home the rebound.

On the last possession, Jrue Holiday passed to a open Eric Gordon on the wing rather Davis, who was open at the free throw line. Gordon missed the shot and the Pelicans fell to 6-8 on the season. In foul trouble for most of the night, Davis took just 9 shots in 30 minutes. But, he drained 6 of them and finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks. He picked 7 of those points in the last 4 minutes of the game. More importantly, Davis showed last night why many think he’s made the proverbial leap. He has improved defensively, after impressing last year on that side of the ball. He only trails Roy “The Scarecrow” Hibbert (it’ll catch on, trust me) in blocks per game and averages 1.7 steals a game, which is top 20 in the NBA and 8th best among forwards.

Davis’s defense has gotten even better from last season

He allows opponents to shoot just 42.5% at the rim, 5th best among players who face 5 shots at the rim a game. Davis also does a great job of using his long arms to eliminate passing and can effect shots by players of all sizes. His lankiness and quickness allow him to cover every player and every spot on the floor. He is shooting up the ranks of the NBA’s most versatile defenders. Along with his fantastic defense, Davis also rebounds like a monster. He averages 10.6 rebounds a game on 15.5 rebound opportunities, the 6th best rebounding percentage among players averaging 9 rebounds. He always seems to have good position and has a knack for knowing where shots will go. Despite his lack of girth at 220 pounds, Davis rebounds well when challenged by opponents. He ranks 4th in league with 4.8 contested rebounds a game.

While impressive, we knew of Davis’s defense and rebounding skills heading into the season. His offensive maturity from last year is what has raised eyebrows around the league. Davis has acted as the catalyst for New Orleans offense. He averages 1.09 points per possession, 3rd best among Pelicans playing 30% of the time. He has shot 49.7% from the field, not a particularly great number considering 62% of his shots come from within 8 feet. But, Davis really impacts the team’s ball movement. When he is in the game, New Orleans runs its entire offense off Davis’s picks, which are some of the best in the league. His picks are only surpassed by the rolls he makes off those screens. Davis cuts right through the middle of the defense off every pick and forces the defense to collapse on him or give up an easy dunk. Even if the roll is shut down, his picks allow the rest of the offense to flow. When he sits, the offense slows to halt as far as ball movement.

Davis has trouble creating his own shot and needs to work on his post game to become a truly dominant big man, but his progress this season suggest he can improve in those areas. All signs in this young season point to the Brow becoming a superstar. His defense and rebounding already make him one of the league’s most versatile players, but his offense is what will make him one of the league’s best power forwards.

The more you know:

• Chris Paul has my imaginary vote for MVP right now. He generates 37.4 points per game off his assists and averages 19.3 points himself, meaning he is responsible for nearly 60 points a game BY HIMSELF. His assist average of 12.5 puts him almost 4 assists better than anyone in the league. He also leads the league in touches this season. What I’m trying to say is that CP3 is basically the entire Clippers team right now and deserves consideration for MVP despite Lebron’s fantastic year so far.
• Kevin Love is just the perfect white guy. He leads the NBA in rebounds and rebounding chances, despite playing almost exclusively below the rim. He just knows where to be, He’s smart  saavy a gym rat any number of the adjectives that analysts use to describe white players. He also can’t dance. But seriously, check out some of his outlet passes this season. They are a thing of beauty.
  
• Andre Drummond leads the NBA in field goal percentage at 65.9%. He also has the league’s worst free throw percentage for players playing 20 minutes a game at 24%. He has only taken 4 of his 123 field goals from more than 8 feet. I have nothing to add this.

League Pass game of the night:

There are a lot of great games on tonight. Lebron heads back to Cleveland for what should be a blowout at 7:30 on ESPN (making it ineligible for League Pass). Atlanta-Houston and Denver-Minnesota should both be competitive and watching Rubio, Love, and Harden will always entertain. Those two will be at 8 pm. Golden State is always watchable and Monta Ellis has impressed this season for Dallas; they play at 8:30. Portland@Phoenix would probably get the top spot any other night, mainly because I irrationally like teams with twins and the Pacific Northwest.

Timmy and the Spurs head to Oklahoma City for the League Pass game of the night

But the top spot belongs to Oklahoma City and San Antonio. I don’t need to explain this one, just tune in at 8 pm and watch some magnificent basketball.