There’s no doubting Anthony Davis is one of the best players in the NBA. However, according to Kevin Durant, this could be the season Davis takes it to the next level.
In the Pelicans’ first game of the season, Davis dropped 50 points to go along with 16 rebounds, five assists, seven steals, and four blocked shots. On Friday, New Orleans welcomed the Warriors to Smoothie King Center and prior to the game Kevin Durant said we should expect similar outbursts from Davis throughout the season.
“Anthony Davis is probably going to lead the league in scoring this year easily,” Durant said via ESPN. “50 for him is a good game, and now he’s like move it to the next one,” he continued. “It’s kind of a customary night for him, so we’ve got to be prepared tonight.”
“It’s hard to defend him,” Durant said. “You can’t. His first step is probably the quickest I’ve seen in a while at his position. He’s long, he can shoot it, he can dribble it, he can shoot the three. So, he’s doing just about everything out there on the court.”
All Davis did against the Warriors was score 45 more points. He also added 17 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.
It’s not unreasonable to think Davis will need to score thirty or more points a night for his team to be competitive. As it stands, New Orleans is still searching for its first win of the season despite Davis’ herculean efforts.
Davis will face stiff competition for the scoring title, with Russell Westbrook and James Harden figuring to be in the discussion as well. That said, even if Davis doesn’t finish first, he likely won’t be too far down the list.
