Look no further than Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis for your fantasy basketball cornerstone.
James Harden. Giannis Antetokounmpo. Luka Doncic. Trae Young. There are plenty of bright names in the world of fantasy basketball. However, one will shine brightest this season: Los Angeles Lakers superstar, Anthony Davis.
Although Anthony Davis’ first season in Los Angeles was a success in the sense that he helped deliver a championship, it didn’t come without sacrifice.
In the 2019-2020 season, Anthony Davis saw both his field goal percentage and three-point percentage experience slight drops. He also saw a significant dip in his rebounds per game numbers (from 12 per game to 9.3) and assist per game numbers (3.9 to 3.2).
Despite playing alongside the unselfish 2020 NBA assist leader, Davis also saw his field goal attempts dip. For the first time since the 2014-2015 season, Davis attempted less than 18 shots a game.
On a positive note, Davis had the best year of his career at the free-throw line.
So why— with one of the better rosters in the league at his disposal — could we see a breakout year from Anthony Davis? The answer is simple: LeBron James turns 36 in less than two weeks.
Despite topping ESPN’s list of best players in the league, LeBron James will look to do the impossible this season: lead the Lakers to a second-consecutive championship with the shortest turn around time in NBA history.
Despite the daunting task, many believe the Lakers are the consensus pick to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2021. In my opinion, Anthony Davis is the biggest reason why.
Unlike last season, we likely won’t see LeBron play anywhere near a full season. As a result, we are going to see a lot of an Anthony Davis-led Laker team.
Davis won’t be alone and struggling for wins when LeBron sits. The Lakers did add Dennis Schroeder and 2020 Sixth Man of the Year winner Montrezl Harrell to lighten the load on the superstar duo. However, the responsibility will still fall solely on Anthony Davis when LeBron sits out.
In short, we are going to see a fully-unleashed New Orleans Pelicans-Esque Anthony Davis. Just two years ago, we saw AD average an astounding 28 points, 11 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game. What was even more impressive? He did it while shooting 53 percent from the field, 83 percent from the free-throw line, and a career-high 34 percent from behind the arc.
With James Harden looking out of shape and Giannis and Trae Young receiving some much-needed help this offseason, I personally believe that leaves us with only one other potential fantasy king: Luka Doncic.
Luka had one of the best sophomore seasons of all time last year when he averaged 28.8 points, 8.8 assists, and 9.4 rebounds per game. Anytime someone averages a near 30-point triple-double, it’s safe to say they’re a contender for the best fantasy basketball player.
However, what many are overlooking is that most fantasy basketball leagues compete over nine categories: points, assists, rebounds, steals, blocks, turnovers, three-pointers, field goal percentage, and free throw percentage.
As good as Luka Doncic is, he’s far from a two-way player. Additionally, he’s nowhere near as efficient as Davis. Last season, Davis out-performed Doncic in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free throw percentage, steals, and blocks.
Although Luka has a large lead in the assist department, he was in the top five in turnovers per game during the 2019-2020 season.
With less LeBron, we could see Davis eclipse Luka in both scoring and rebounding as well. He will be one of the best defensive players in the league in terms of steals and blocks and will likely continue to shoot efficiently from everywhere.
With Giannis handling the ball less, Harden focused on potential trade destinations, and Luka looking to improve on the defensive side of the ball, there is no player more statistically versatile than Anthony Davis.
If you’ve yet to draft and you have the first overall pick, you’ve got to be thinking AD. If you’re going the auction draft route, he’s worth every penny.
No matter how it shakes out, there’s no player I’d trust more than Anthony Davis in the 2020-2021 season.