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Anthony Davis exceeded all reasonable expectations in the first week of the season. 113 points in three games including a 50 point outburst to open the Smoothie King Center and an equally impressive 45 point game against the revamped Golden State Warriors. 38 rebounds, 9 steals, 9 blocks, and 8 assists. A patently absurd 38.3 PER.
But.
The New Orleans Pelicans lost both of those close games. A trip to San Antonio finished off the week with a blowout loss. Off-season acquisitions Solomon Hill, E’Twaun Moore, Langston Galloway, and Buddy Hield have combined to shoot 3-33 behind the arc in three games. Ten. Percent. 3-26 on open or wide open looks according to NBA Stats. Buddy Hield has begun his NBA career shooting 25% from the field and has scored 14 points on 24 attempts.
Dante Cunningham is leading the team in three point makes. No. Seriously.
Some of this is bound to recover to reasonable levels. These are NBA players after all. The ball will go in the hoop more at some point in the future. The problem is wasting those transcendent games by Anthony Davis. Just like the role players won’t shoot this poorly Davis isn’t going to score 40+ points regularly.
What’d the power rankers think? Well, New Orleans is still consistently rated ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers. And... well that’s it.
Last Week: 26 - This Week: 29
Basketball is supposed to be the sport where one star can make the biggest impact. But the Pelicans are 0-3 with a guy -- Anthony Davis -- averaging 37.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 3.0 blocks. With Jrue Holiday out, Buddy Hield (6-for-24, 0-for-8 from 3-point range) not yet finding his shot, and Omer Asik still not bringing the defense he came to New Orleans to provide, Davis' supporting cast is pretty dismal. Hield isn't the only one who hasn't been able to make a jumper. The Pels have shot 19 percent from beyond the arc.
Last Week: 26 - This Week: 26
What does Anthony Davis have to show for his troubles? The Brow's eye-popping total of 113 points so far is an all-time record for a player mired in an 0-3 start, well beyond the 95 points that Atlanta's Lou Hudson (1971-72), Chicago's Michael Jordan (1990-91) and Philadelphia's Allen Iverson (2005-06) all mustered amid 0-3 starts of their owns. Our best advice to Pels fans: Keep a copy of that opening night box score handy for a pick-me-up until Jrue Holidayand Tyreke Evans return.
Last Week: 19 - This Week: 28
Anthony Davis has 95 points and no wins in two games. That is as depressing a stat as you will find. The players aren't good to begin with ... and they don't fit the scheme. Retaining Omer Asik was an epic disaster that is hurting them all over. Yes, they need Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans back healthy, but there are so many other roster concerns.