Unguardable: The Arsenal of Anthony Davis
By Spencer Darr
Apr 15, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) stands on the court against the San Antonio Spurs during the fourth quarter at the Smoothie King Center.The Pelicans won 108-103 to earn the eight seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
When you spend enough time sifting through the internet for Anthony Davis videos, the same description appears over and over: “Anthony Davis is not human”.
Mere mortals are incapable of even attempting to explain the otherworldly experience of watching Davis wreak havoc for 40 minutes.
While the biologic origins of Anthony Davis remain unclear, his place among the top NBA players is. Expect to see Davis’s name listed when they announce the MVP results.
That might not be the most impressive list he joined this year though.
AD finished the 2014-15 season with a 30.8 PER – Player Efficiency Rating is a combination of box-score statistics, as well as usage rate, assist %, true shooting %, and other advanced metrics.
It is a concise, single-number metric that can be applied against current and historic seasons to compare individual performances.
According to Basketball-Reference, 30.8 is the 11th highest PER mark of all-time. Only Lebron James, Michael Jordan, and Wilt Chamberlain have recorded a higher rating.
Mar 22, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) and Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Not bad company.
So how did AD ascend to such rare airs? For one, he’s not human. Like Inspector Gadget, Davis employs an endless (and sometimes shocking) arsenal of skills: jumpers, counter-moves, spins, slams, silky jumpers, and plays before unknown.
But those are just words, let’s take a couple of looks at the plays Anthony Davis will attempt to eliminate the Golden State Warriors with…….