It speaks volumes of Russell Westbrook’s historic dominance and the brilliant consistency of Steph Curry and James Harden that Anthony Davis is barely on the MVP periphery. The Brow began the season like gangbusters and has barely slowed down when actually on the court – the problem is that he hasn’t been for half of the New Orleans Pelicans’ last 22 games.
But Davis was back at it last night following a five-game absence to rest a strained shoulder. And though not even his 39-point, 13-rebound, 3-steal, 8-block masterpiece in a 88-85 win over Detroit Pistons can thrust him back to legitimate MVP contention, it certainly served as a necessary reminder of a reality we thought would wouldn’t come for multiple seasons: When Davis is healthy, he might be basketball’s best player.
And he’s only 21 years-old.
With eight swats pushing his career total to 437, Davis became the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets’ franchise leader in blocked shots. While amazing considering he’s in his third season and missed significant time with injuries, that feat isn’t necessarily surprising. We always knew Davis would be a force in the paint on both ends, routinely using his rare blend of length and athleticism for sequences like this:
What took far more projection and even optimism following his lone season at the University of Kentucky was his the development of his skill game. Obviously, it’s improved at a faster rate than even Davis’ biggest proponents – ourselves included – could have hoped. Not many 6-11 defensive wonders could make this pair of jumpers, especially when the game is on the line:
This isn’t a season The Brow will be named MVP. As long as he can stay healthy, though, performances like Wednesday’s combined with his youth make it seem a foregone conclusion that he’ll win the award soon enough.
[Video via FreeDawkins]
