Anthony Davis Continues MVP Campaign in Win Over the Los Angeles Lakers
By Joseph Crevier
@JosephMCrevier
Layne Murdoch-Getty Images
From a consolation All-Star appearance last season to this year’s favored MVP candidate, Anthony Davis has emerged into a superstar almost overnight. Nicknamed “The Brow” for obvious reasons, Davis was selected with the first overall pick in the 2012 draft by the New Orleans Hornets, over the likes of star players Damian Lillard and Andre Drummond.
Davis’ college career was played at Kentucky, under head coach John Calipari, where he made national headlines with nasty blocks and his peculiar unibrow. After a brutal rookie season, in which he suffered a variety of nagging injuries, scouts weren’t exactly sure what to expect from him in his first healthy year in the league. Davis responded by quietly putting up a solid 20.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game, making the All-Star game as a substitute for the injured Kobe Bryant. Even still, the Brow was overlooked by the national media until he rose to the occasion in the much anticipated FIBA World Cup, defending the paint like his life depended on it.
Similar to his fellow Team USA teammates, the experience was clearly highly beneficial to Davis’ confidence, as he’s shoulders much of the load in New Orleans, leading his team to a 4-3 record through seven games. Compared to a young Kevin Garnett, Davis has expanded his offensive game while still maintaining that lockdown defense, attempting to block just about every single shot that goes up. Though he will have to learn to pick his spots as the year progresses, these are certainly encouraging signs from a 21-year-old proving to be the NBA‘s next great player, hopefully for the ensuing decade or so.
The Brow’s most recent dominant performance came against the bottom-feeding Los Angeles Lakers, a game in which he scored 25 points on 12 for 16 shooting, 12 rebounds and six blocks. The league hasn’t seen such prolific numbers from a power forward since Garnett and Tim Duncan in their respective primes. This kid is truly a special player who will in fact continue to be in the race for MVP, contingent upon whether or not he can lead his Pelicans to a playoff berth.
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