Anthony Davis by the numbers
Last season at age 25, Anthony Davis averaged 25.9 PPG, 12 RPG, 3.9 APG, and 2.4 BPG, to go along with a .540 eFG%.
Compare AD’s stats to Devin Booker’s numbers last year during his age 22 season: 26.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 6.8 APG, and 0.2 BPG, to go along with a .521 eFG%.
Last season, despite the fact that AD torpedoed the Pelican’s playoffs hopes with his mid-season trade demand, he’s still viewed as a superstar with tremendous trade value.
During 2018, Devin Booker put up one of the best age 22 season’s ever, and in many ways his stats were equal to AD’s. However, he’s never mentioned as a potential superstar or a building block for a championship team.
In fact, you’re probably shaking your head at the comparison right now, because Devin Booker’s been putting up meaningless stats on the Suns for years while the losses have piled up in the heat of the desert. Anthony Davis has been doing the same thing though.
AD’s been in the league seven years now, but the Pelicans have only made the postseason twice during that time. One big difference between both players is that Anthony Davis has stacked losses on top of more losses with much better complimentary pieces surrounding him. That includes one of the best two-way point guards playing in the NBA; Jrue Holiday.
Perhaps you’re thinking that Devin Booker’s offensive stats might be similar to AD’s, but defensively “The Brow” is a true impact player, while Booker’s awful on the less glamorous side of the ball.
The advanced statistics back up that opinion. Last season Anthony Davis had a solid 105 defensive rating, however Devin Booker’s DEFRTG was a putrid 118.
Those numbers don’t paint the entire picture. Defensive rating is based on how many points a player allows per 100 possessions. In other words, Davis gave up 105 points per 100 possessions and Booker gave up 118 points per 100 possessions.
Team defense matters when calculating individual advanced stats. Devin Booker plays for the Suns, the worst run team in the association. Making matters worse, he’s played for a carousel of different coach’s during his short career, none of whom have implemented a coherent defensive system.
Throughout Booker’s career, every time he’s hunkered down and guarded his assignment on the perimeter he’s been left on an island by himself. Unfortunately, the merry-go-round of different coaches who’ve stalked the sidelines for the Suns have never been able to ensure that Devin’s teammates know how to help out on defense and support him to corral speedy guards from getting to the rack. That’s one of the major reasons why Booker’s defensive rating is so high.
Nobody’s saying Booker is a better defender than AD. Anthony Davis is a better overall player than Booker as well, however, it’s closer than you think. Fair or not, narratives are incredibly important in the NBA.
Booker’s been labeled as a selfish chucker, who doesn’t care about defense, but if he had been drafted by a team like the Celtics and given the chance to grow under the tutelage of Boston’s great young coach, Brad Stevens, he’d be seen as a budding two-way superstar.
Meanwhile, Anthony Davis’s career narrative is the opposite of Devin Booker’s: AD has always been seen as a player with MVP talent who’s been unlucky because the players who’ve suited up next to him during his career have been sub-par.
Here’s the point:
Devin Booker and Anthony Davis are both gifted players who’ve never won a meaningful game during their respective careers. Lakers fans are thrilled that “The Brow” now plays for the Lakers, but if Rob Pelinka had traded for Devin Booker, Hollywood would have let out a collective gasp.
Throughout Anthony Davis’ and Devin Booker’s time in the NBA, both men have put up impressive stats while losing. Here in LA we don’t care about numbers.
Chris Paul has better advanced stats than Kobe Bryant, but don’t try to tell a Lakers fan that Paul is a better player than Bryant. Said Lakers fan will laugh at you and let you know all we care about in Hollywood are championships. Kobe’s got five rings while Chris Paul’s fingers are empty.
Nobody in SoCal cares about Davis’ fantastic traditional statistics, his impressive PER or any other advanced stat. AD needs to start winning to impress folks in LA.
If Anthony Davis can’t find success in the postseason and help the Lakers make a deep playoff run, then he really is just a slightly better player than Devin Booker.