The Anthony Davis Enigma

                There’s a superstar in New Orleans, who may soon claim the throne as the NBA’s best player. This star is Anthony Davis, and he has already started to shine (this was the most cliché analogy I could think of, just beating out a flower starting to blossom and a new sheriff in town).  The casual NBA fan has yet to appreciate the dominance of Davis’ play, but those who have seen him in action (myself included) know he’s the real deal. 

        I was fortunate to witness Davis in person, when the Pelicans were playing against the Bucks last year in Milwaukee. It happened to be a game in which he notched his season high in scoring, with 43 points.  He also had 10 rebounds and 6 assists while shooting a video game-like 74%. Looking at the shot selection will show that most of his shots were mid-range two’s and underneath the basket.  Perhaps witnessing this in person was all I needed to see to understand his greatness. For most people, they don’t get to see this regularly. New Orleans isn’t on national TV very often, so exposure is limited. For most people, all they have seen of Davis was last years first round playoff exit against the Warriors.  In that series, Davis averaged 31.5 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks. They may have got swept (including a heartbreaking OT loss in game 3) but Davis sure did his part. 

 

                Davis had a remarkable year, carrying the Pelicans.  He was 4^th in the league in points per game (24.4), 1^st in blocks with 2.9 a game (200 total), 8^th in rebounding (10.2), and perhaps most impressively, led the league in Player Efficiency Rating with a 30.8! Davis’ PER from last year is the 11^th best of all time.  So, coming off a historically great season, there still is not that much buzz nationally around Davis. Are big men just not as marketable as guards? That theory is disproved by off the court guru's like Shaq and Charles Barkley.  I’ve seen more Timofey Mozgov commercials than Davis ones. Davis does have a foot locker ad, but it has gotten far less views than Mozgov’s cheesy yet perfect local ad. If YouTube views aren't a good enough barometer of popularity, take a look at NBA jersey sales from last year. 

         Anthony Davis failed to crack the top 15 in jersey sales! Injury prone Derrick Rose finished fifth and aging stars such as Duncan and Nowitzki finished 7^th and 14^th respectively. Could the New Orleans market be to blame? Not necessarily; back in 08-09 Chris Paul finished 3^rd,  when he was with New Orleans. The next year Paul fell, but only to 7^th. I know jersey sales have are no real weight in ranking the game’s best players, but they are a good sign in seeing how players are marketed. 13-14 was no different, as Davis didn’t crack the top 15. Davis is arguably the games best young player.   
         
       Why are really good, but not as great, guys like Kyrie Irving beating him in sales? Kyrie has his Uncle Drew commercials for Pepsi, but what endorsements does Davis have? For the most part, Davis has been really mismanaged when it comes to marketing.   It doesn’t help that Davis was a late bloomer into his height and greatness (he grew 8 inches in one summer in high school). Guys like Lebron and Kobe were heralded from a young age. Kyrie had enough hype to be taken first overall despite barely playing while at Duke. The New Orleans market can’t be blamed. It would be ludicrous if Davis is unable to crack the top 15 in jersey sales after what is expected to be another great season.

        New Coach Alvin Gentry wants Davis to shoot more 3’s this year, and I am not a fan. Yes the NBA is becoming smaller and 3 point shooting along with ball swings are bigger than ever, but don’t fix what isn’t broke. Remember when Kevin Love was a dominant rebounder? He then started taking more 3’s, thus being out of position for more offensive rebounds. Davis only made one last year, though it was in dramatic fashion, on 12 attempts. 

          He shot 40% of his shots last year from 0-3 feet, making 73% of those shots. Why go away from the basket?  Where Davis improved the most last season wasn’t 3-16 feet away from the basket, instead it was over 16. So pretty much he improved his deep mid-range two. This is a shot that is frowned upon by most coaches and analytic GM’s in the league for being inefficient. 29% of his shots were from over 16 feet and he hit 41% of them. So inside the arch, he excelled closest and farthest from the basket. This versatility is what made him great. Most big men in the league are either dominant in the paint or away, not both. Deandre Jordan is amazingly efficient near the basket, but can’t hit anything away from it. This makes him more predictable. Some big men, think Spencer Hawes or Josh Smith, get “addicted” to 3’s and they often settle for bad 3’s instead of looking for a closer shot. 

        Davis' supporting cast is not spectacular, but it is solid, featuring  Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon (who's scoring numbers have decreased every year since being acquired in the Chris Paul trade), and Tyreke Evans. The Pelicans re-signed center Omar Asik in the off-season, but did little else to help out Davis. This Pelicans team is starting to look a little bit like the Cavaliers before Lebron's Decision. Yes, Davis was re-signed to a massive 5 year, $145 extension in the off-season, which will keep him in New Orleans for the next six years, but more help has to come. When Davis' contract expires he will be 28. That will be the beginning of his prime. It's scary to think about how great his prime will be, considering what he has already accomplished. The Pelicans were fortunate to land this do-it-all star, but they can't afford to blow this chance at becoming a contender. 

       Put the right pieces around Davis, and the Pelicans can become contenders for years to come. If they fail to do so, Davis may have no choice other than to leave six years from now. The Pelicans have plenty of time to get this right, or else yet another superstar will leave a small market for greener pastures. From an exposure standpoint, the time to buy Davis' stock is now.  If the Pelicans can make a run in the playoffs in the next few years, maybe then will people realize his Davis' abilities.  There is a bird, hidden under the shroud of small market NBA, ready to take off. Just don't be surprised when this bird takes full flight (that is wall to wall cliches!).