It’s easy to feel bad for Paul Millsap here.
There was just no way for the Atlanta Hawks All-Star to anticipate the fate about to befall him. He simply turned toward the ball after contesting a full-court pass to Quincy Pondexter, hoping he might have a chance to get a steal and thwart a New Orleans Pelicans fast break. But he ended up meeting the world’s scariest basketball player head-on instead, and Anthony Davis had a running start.
Millsap, basically, was the last person in the arena who saw this epic poster jam coming. Poor guy.
But the most eye-opening thing to glean from Davis’ play in the Pelicans’ 103-93 loss to the Hawks from Jacksonville, FL wasn’t a towering slam – we expect that from a player whose all-around physical gifts are truly unlike any we’ve ever seen. The 6’11, 253-pounder knocked down two of his three tries from long range on Friday night, confirming offseason murmurs from New Orleans that he’d expanded his range to beyond the arc.
Last month, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry cautioned against expecting his superstar to make a consistent living from three-point range. Fair. But Davis, obviously, will absolutely shoot treys and knock them down if given the space this season. Oh, and he’ll still throw down ferocious dunks on the top of anyone’s head, too.
