In five NBA seasons, Anthony Davis has established himself as one of the best two-way players in the entire league.
After being picked first overall in the 2012 Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans, “The Brow” has treated the Big Easy with spectacular individual performances on a nightly basis. In 2016-2017, he put up a career-high 28.0 points, career-high 11.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 36.1 minutes over 75 regular-season contests.
However, Davis has been a part of just one playoff team during his time in the NBA. That lone appearance came in the 2014-2015 campaign when the Pelicans got swept in the first round against the No. 1 seeded Golden State Warriors. Despite averaging 31.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in 43.0 minutes per game, AD did his best, but in the end, the talent around him didn’t stack up against their opponent.
Now, heading into a new season with co-star DeMarcus Cousins at his side, point guard Jrue Holiday back on a lucrative five-year, $126 million deal and veteran floor general Rajon Rondo on the roster, Davis is optimistic, but also revealed that he’s "tired of losing".
"We can't wait for the season to come and try to make some noise here in the loaded West," Davis said Tuesday afternoon via the Associated Press.
"We're doing everything, whether it's signing players, trading players ... whatever it is to just try to make sure that we try to be a winning organization," he added. "We have the tools right now to be successful. ... Right now, I think we look good on paper. So we've just got to figure it out.”
Since the NBA champion Golden State Warriors returned their entire core, the Houston Rockets added Chris Paul and others in free agency and since the San Antonio Spurs always manage to win 50-plus games, the Pelicans will be stacked up against tough competition at the top of the Western Conference.
While some more moves likely need to be made to put the Pelicans into the conversation, Davis is excited about the pairing of Rondo and Holiday, especially on the defensive end of the floor.
"They're going to give a lot of guards this year problems," Davis said. "It's always good when you can add a guy who knows how to play defense.”
Offensively, both Davis and Cousins demand a high volume of shot attempts per game. Therefore, adding Rondo, who is perhaps the most pass-first player in the NBA, is the perfect fit, according to the big man.
"When I first heard about Rondo, I thought it was a good situation for us," Davis said. "He knows when to get guys involved, when to make that pass.”
Cousins has been working out with Davis this summer in the hopes at creating more on and off-court chemistry with his teammate. So far, it’s been a pleasant experience for Davis.
"We know we're going to be the big focal points on every team's scouting report, so we just wanted to get together and work at it together and figure out the things we like to do," Davis noted. "He's trying to adapt. He wants to win for sure, and we didn't have that much time last year. ... He's trying to do whatever the team asks him to do.”
While the Pelicans are probably a few players away from making major strides in the West, New Orleans boasts what can easily be considered the most talented frontcourt duo in the NBA. Therefore, on any given night, they will be able to give their opponents trouble from a matchup perspective, no matter who they play.