The numbers and the highlights spoke for themselves – Anthony Davis is an incredibly talented, perennial NBA All-Star. But when Solomon Hill signed with New Orleans as a free agent in the summer of 2016, what he didn’t know about Davis, he decided to ask his good friend Jrue Holiday, a fellow native of the Los Angeles area. Hill loved the feedback.
“Jrue had nothing but great things to say about him,” Hill remembered recently. “For as gifted as (Davis) was, I’d never heard anyone talk about him being a diva or anything like that. He doesn’t complain and is just a solid guy. It made my decision that much easier, to know you’re coming to a place with team-first guys. That’s what has built a great locker room, like we have right now. It’s as solid as it comes and it’s great to build a foundation off those two guys (Davis and Holiday).”
Davis and Holiday are both arguably enjoying the best seasons of their pro careers, with Davis breaking into the MVP conversation for the second time since ’15. His career-best year is partly the product of multiple summers in the gym honing his skill set, but if you ask the Pelicans, what’s sometimes just as impressive is the way he interacts with teammates and his development as a man, as he heads into his mid-20s.
Like Hill, Holiday said his decision to sign with New Orleans – returning to the Pelicans in July ’17, via a lucrative contract extension – was made easier based on how much he’s enjoyed playing with and being around Davis.
“He’s an ultimate professional, a stand-up guy, on and off the court,” the guard said. “One of the reasons I signed back was because I knew Anthony had no ego. Obviously we all know that Anthony is the best player on our team, and he shows it on the court, but off the court, he’s just a real person. He’ll give you anything. I’ve asked him for shoes or whatever and (Holiday snaps his fingers) he makes it happen. He’ll give you the shirt off his back, really, and those are the type of people in my life, outside of basketball, that I like to surround myself with.”
Hill remembers watching Davis lead Kentucky to an NCAA championship in 2012, which coincidentally was a title-game win in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome over Kansas. Davis only scored six points in the victory vs. the Jayhawks, but couldn’t have cared less about stats.
“Even when AD won a chip (in college), he did it with a team,” Hill said. “He didn’t just go out there and average 40. He was a great player on a great team. Just because he’s super-gifted, nothing has changed about him. He can go out and get 60, but he doesn’t act any differently. He’s a great dude off the court and does things for everyone. He’s really a giver and it shows in who he is.”
New Orleans teammates’ perception of Davis may help explain why he’s sometimes second-guessed for not shooting enough, a criticism that has mostly disappeared lately. Davis had a stretch after DeMarcus Cousins’ season-ending injury in which he admittedly was playing too passively, but after speaking with an encouraging Cousins by phone, Davis turned into a monster. The results have been stunning, with Davis averaging 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.5 blocks since the All-Star break, easily the best stretch of his career in terms of carrying the Pelicans to wins (NOLA is 20-8 since Feb. 10).
“The level of maturity has really grown leaps and bounds,” said Pelicans assistant coach Kevin Hanson, who’s worked hands-on each summer with Davis. “Obviously we had him as just a young pup. He really has grown into a man. Being a leader, it’s really been awesome to watch that development.”
Throughout his six years in the NBA, Pelicans players and coaches have described Davis as a low-maintenance superstar, a player who never puts himself above the rest of the team. Hill says Davis’ leadership-by-example is evident in his work ethic and unwillingness to cut corners.
“In this league you’ve got guys in certain situations who can and do get away with certain things,” Hill said of the entitlement that can creep into elite NBA players. “He’s not that type of guy. If we’ve got a workout at 2 o’clock, he’ll be there at 2. Heck, he might be there at 1:30. He sets a good example of what a pro is, on and off the court. And you don’t hear his name in (the news) getting involved in things. That makes it easier for everyone else to come in the gym and get better. When you see him in the gym working on his craft, you have no excuse to not do the same thing. He motivates you. It’s really dope being around a guy like that.”
The Pelicans posted just 30 and 34 wins over the previous two seasons, falling shy of expectations or the potential many observers believed New Orleans had with Davis as its franchise player. The team dealt with constant adversity, including widespread injuries to key pieces, as well as a coaching change and major roster turnover. Davis never complained – something his teammates noticed. It’s been a negative NBA trend to expect stars to want to bail as soon as circumstances turn against them, but Davis never voiced displeasure with his situation. It’s a trait many respect.
“I feel like he’s loyal to the people who do him right,” Holiday said. “Even sometimes when those people have done him wrong, he’s still loyal to them and gives them grace. He’s just that type of personality. Even though he’s younger than me and I’ve been in the league I think four years longer, he’s someone you look up to, especially in an environment where everything is kind of ego-driven. There is an aura (in the NBA) of having selfishness, and him being our leader and franchise player, but not having any of that, it sets the tone. I think it’s a big reason why people gravitate toward AD outside of basketball. He’s so inviting and makes you feel like he cares about you.”
New Orleans hasn’t won a playoff series in 10 years – dating back to four years before the then-Hornets struck gold in the lottery by winning the No. 1 pick and landing Davis – but the Pelicans believe 2017-18 could be the start of a new chapter for the franchise. They’re happy to see the team’s best player be rewarded for his efforts. At 48-34, New Orleans won its most games since ’08-09. For the first time since then, the Pelicans are entering a playoff series as a club given a legitimate shot to win, which realistically was not the case during Davis’ postseason debut vs. eventual ’15 NBA champion Golden State.
“I’m just happy for him that we’re kind of trying to change the culture around here,” Hill said. “We want this to be a place he can call home, not just now, not just next year, but forever, until the day he stops playing basketball. We want to provide that environment for him, because he does great things not just for the city of New Orleans, but for his teammates as well.
“Everyone knows he’s a great scorer, but he wants to win. (In a recent game), he didn’t put up 35 or 40 points and we won. He comes in the locker room with a great attitude. He doesn’t care if he had 45 or zero. That’s a good feeling, to know you have a top guy who only cares about winning. He embodies that.”