The New Orleans Pelicans lost their fifth game in as many attempts last night as they fell to the Grizzlies in overtime. Despite a dismal start, it’s been the complete opposite for their superstar Anthony Davis. The 23 year old has been putting up outrageous numbers over the opening 5 games, leading the way on what appears to be an incredibly weak Pelicans team.
Davis began the season in a way no other player has ever done. Despite losing to the Denver Nuggets, Davis finished with 50 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 4 blocks! The performance was simply unbelievable!
He followed up the historic performance two nights later with 45 points and 17 rebounds in a loss to the Golden State Warriors. This seems to be the story of the season so far in New Orleans; Anthony Davis is great, but the rest of the Pelicans simply are not.
In last nights loss to Memphis, Davis was held to just 10 points, shooting only 3-13 from the field.
Despite the lowly performance yesterday, Davis’ season averages currently stand at 31 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists and 2.5 steals per game! He has done a bit of everything so far, yet the wins continue to elude the Pelicans.
Kevin Durant has already tipped the former no.1 pick in 2012 to win the NBA scoring title this season, and the whole league continues to watch the Pelicans with interest, as their superstar is left with virtually no help.
Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday continue to be unavailable for New Orleans, leaving it up to the rest of the roster to step up and support Davis in his efforts to win some games.
Rookie Buddy Hield has been somewhat underwhelming in his opening 5 games in the NBA, scoring just 8 points per game on 32% shooting from the field. Any pre-season hype of Hield seems to have disappeared following a slow start to his NBA career.
Tim Frazier is the second leading scorer for New Orleans, averaging 13 points and 8 assists as the starting point guard in Jrue Holiday’s absence.
Free agency pick up Lance Stephenson is averaging just under 10 points per game also.
The Pelicans began the 2015-2016 season by losing their opening six games, and winning just one of their first twelve. They look to set to begin this season in a very similar way.
There’s no doubt that Anthony Davis and the rest of the Pelicans will be frustrated by the start, and will look to get their season back on track with a win in one of their upcoming games. They take on the Phoenix Suns at the Smoothie King Center on Friday night, which could be the ideal opportunity to get their first win on the board.
There is no doubt that if Anthony Davis continues to play at this level he will make the all-star game in February, and possibly all-NBA honors at the end of the season. The question on everyone’s mind right now however, is when will the Pelicans start winning some games?
