New Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry calls Anthony Davis a “generational player” who compares to some of the greatest stars the NBA has ever seen. As an assistant with the Warriors, Gentry coached last season’s MVP in Stephen Curry, and he believes Davis will capture that same honor before he’s through.
“It is up to us to make him as good as he can possibly be, and not settle for him to be less than great in this area or that area,” Gentry said to Ian Thomsen of NBA.com. “I told him that I have no doubt that he is going to be an MVP in this league. And I said to him, ‘We are going to be really, really good if you also win Defensive Player of the Year.”’
It’s natural for a newly hired coach to make gushing remarks about his best player, but it’s also easy to understand why Gentry is so excited. At age 22, Davis is already a two-time All-Star. Last season, he earned first-team All-NBA honors and led New Orleans to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. In addition, he won an NCAA championship at Kentucky and a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics.
Some scouts questioned his physical strength and mid-range shooting when he came out of college, but Davis has improved in both areas. He posted career highs last season with averages of 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.9 blocks.
Today’s topic is: Will Anthony Davis be the NBA’s best player over the next decade or do you see another young star who can come along and eclipse him?
Please share your thoughts and opinions on Davis in the comments section below. We look forward to what you have to say.
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I think Anthony Davis is the best player since Lebron. Durant’s serious foot injury, and lower defensive ceiling even in perfect health, make me more bullish about Davis’s career than even Durant.
So I think characterizing Davis as a generational player is completely justified. Lebron is eight years older, and he’s the best player since, and there’s no one younger than Davis is even close to being as good as he is.
It’s not at all unreasonable to say that Davis is a ‘once in 10 years’ type of player.
I don’t think Davis is there quite yet, but I don’t see anyone else out there who has as much potential as he does. He’s growing by leaps and bounds, too. I’m really intrigued to see how he’ll play under Alvin Gentry.
Why does everyone think KD is a poor defender? He actually really improved in that area over the last few years, and became a good one
Why does everyone think KD will return to being the same player he was, coming off multiple foot surgeries?
Before the injuries, Joel Embiid looked that good.
Ben Simmons
Davis is a unique talent because of how he affects the opposition with his interior defense and shot-blocking. I anticipate Davis and Drummond being the top big men over the next decade.