New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis sounded as confident as ever before speaking to reporters at media day Friday afternoon.
Davis, who was named to the All-Star team for the third consecutive time this past season, has championship aspirations for his Pelicans team, a team he plans on playing with for the entire duration of his career.
Davis calls himself old-school and says, “I never plan on leaving here. I love it here. I plan on bringing a championship here.”
— Oleh Kosel (@Redhopeful) September 23, 2016
When Anthony Davis was selected with the No. 1 pick in 2012, the popular vote had him turning into a top-10 player at some point in his career. What few expected came next: He became a top-10 player just two seasons into the league, averaging 20.8 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game in dominate fashion.
Davis transitioned into a dominant frontcourt player right off the jump, quickly making a name for himself by blocking shots, guarding opponents no matter the position, rebounding and scoring from inside and out.
The Pelicans have made it their mission to build a team centered on Davis, placing players such as Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon, and Ryan Anderson around him in recent years. Unfortunately, a plague of injuries that’s been widespread across the team’s last two seasons have spoiled much of their potential success.
Davis has suffered from a rash of distinctive injuries over the course of his career, being sidelined for 68 games across the last four seasons. He’s looking forward to getting back onto the court next month, spending most of this past offseason getting healthy.
“This offseason was big just to get back on the floor,” Davis said (via ESPN’s Justin Verrier). “Where some of our guys wanted to improve their games, mine was, ‘Can I be ready for the first game.’ I’m ready. From there, [it was about] withstanding an entire season without missing games. Stuff happens. You can’t control what happens. But stuff that I can control, I want to control. I think our doctors and our trainers are doing a great job of getting me back to that point. I feel like I can withstand an 82-game season right now.”
Davis has been cleared to play again, and recently took part in virtually all of the Pelicans’ first team practice. He sat during some conditioning drills towards the end, but was a full participant in other drills, plays, and scrimmages.
While his production slightly dipped last season, specifically on the defensive end, Davis added another offensive weapon over the summer of 2015: A consistent three-point shot.
Should Davis continue to improve his outside stroke and overall game, and the Pelicans add more young pieces to the puzzle, New Orleans could be the feared contender fans desperately want to see in the near future — And Anthony Davis’ championship aspirations would be realized.
Davis signed a 5-year extension with the Pelicans last summer, but when that deal ends, expect a plethora of teams to register interest in adding him to their roster. Nonetheless, Anthony Davis insists New Orleans is his home in the present day, and plans on it being that way for the remainder of his career.
Davis averaged 24.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in 61 games last season, shooting 49% from the field and 32% from deep.
