Anthony Davis
Is Anthony Davis the best big man in the NBA?
Is AD the most talented unicorn in the association?
These are difficult questions to answer, but one thing is sure; Davis has won less postseason games than the other great big men throughout the NBA.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: 34 career playoff games
- Rudy Gobert: 25 career playoff games
- Joel Embiid: 19 career playoff games
- Nikola Jokic: 14 career playoff games
- Davis: 13 career playoff games
AD toiled in the Bayou for six seasons, putting up huge stats in front of half-empty crowds. His teammates did their best, but the majority of them were inadequate. None of the men who suited up with Davis were able to help him satisfy the one desire every professional athlete craves most, postseason success.
We all know what happened next. At the start of Davis’s seventh season in New Orleans, he hired LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul. Then halfway through the season, “The Brow” demanded a trade to the Lakers.
Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka did their part to get a deal done. They offered up Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart for Davis. Only Dell Demps, the Pelicans ex-GM, refused to trade his star center and in the process, got fired for his alarming display of basketball negligence.
Last season, Davis’ plan to escape New Orleans failed, and because of his botched power play, several misfortunes followed.
- Davis torched any chance the Pelicans had of making the playoffs.
- AD lost one of his prime years in the NBA.
- The trade demand ruined the Lakers chemistry and incinerated LA’s season.
- Magic Johnson resigned from the Lakers due to the pressure that he created by publicly trying to deal half the roster.
- As previously mentioned, Dell Demps got canned.
Finally, after all the wasted seasons and all of the catastrophes, Davis arrived in LA over the summer.
AD’s no different than Bradley or Howard. He came to the Lakers after struggling through the highs and lows of an NBA career.
Now “The Brow” is ready to put the Pelicans bad ownership and awful medical staff and ill-prepared coaches behind him. He’s set to take over the NBA.
Davis headlines the 2019-2020 Lakers, and the roster he’s playing with is undoubtedly the best of his career.
LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green, Avery Bradley, and company are going to spread the floor for Davis and give him the type of space to operate in that he never had in New Orleans.
Davis will finish another season with freakish stats, but this year he won’t just put up empty numbers for a borderline playoff team like he’s done his entire NBA career. During the 2019-2020 season, AD’s finally going to get a chance to dominate the league on a contender.
Davis will help push the Lakers toward their first title since Kobe Bryant was in his prime.