Hook shots, post-ups, deep two-point jumpers, fast-break layups, mid-range pull-ups, floaters in the lane, even a three-pointer – you name it, Anthony Davis scored that way during his 41-point eruption Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers. Somewhat surprisingly, among the three-time All-Star’s 14 baskets, however, none were dunks, something he’s often feasted on during his five-year NBA career.
While leading the NBA in scoring (32.1 points per game) through the first month of the 2016-17 regular season, Davis has continued to demonstrate an incredibly wide range of offensive skills, helping him increase his average by nearly eight points from last season’s 24.3. Or as Lakers first-year head coach Luke Walton put it succinctly after Tuesday’s buzzer, “He can score in a lot of areas.”
Still, if there’s one reason Davis’ production has spiked so dramatically in Year 5, he indicates that it may have more to do with a change in mentality than an expanding tool box.
“I think I always had (various offensive moves), but I’m just being more aggressive,” Davis said. “Usually I kind of just let the game come to me and am more relaxed. But now I’m coming out of the gate being aggressive, trying to find ways to either make plays for myself or my teammates. I think it’s just been a difference, having that aggressive mindset.”
New Orleans assistant coach Kevin Hanson – who was retained on Alvin Gentry’s staff in 2015 partly due to his developmental work with the steadily-improving Davis ��� agrees, saying that the emphasis of this summer was on approaching the game from a different perspective.
“We’ve changed his mindset, to where it’s attack-minded,” Hanson said. “He’s not settling for shots. Going into this season, the focus was on attacking the defense. If the (jump) shot is there, he’ll take it, but we want him driving the ball more. He’s breaking guys down off the dribble more, selling shot-fakes. He’s really understanding how to use pace to set up the defense, such as he might use a jab step now to create space. He’s understanding how to get to the places on the court where he wants to go. That’s what really efficient scorers do. They don’t allow defenses to move them away from their sweet spots.”
Few opposing defenses have enjoyed any semblance of success trying to slow down Davis, who’s already scored over 40 points four times, topped by a 50-point night in the season opener vs. Denver. Normally when a primary scorer significantly increases his volume of shots (he’s firing a career-high 21.7 per game), it negatively impacts his efficiency, but the opposite has been true for Davis – his shooting percentage from two-point range is a career-high 54.9. Hanson attributes some of that to Davis’ improving ability to use a counter move against a range of defensive strategies.
“We’ve worked on so much stuff over five years together now, that he’s getting a comfort level on the court, to where he’s reaching into his bag and pulling out some shots that we’ve spent time on, but that he wasn’t necessarily comfortable going to (in games) before,” said Hanson, a 6-foot-10 former overseas pro. “I think the game has slowed down so much for him, that he’s really taking what the defense is giving him. A lot of it is instinctual, but he’s also realizing how to react to what defenses are doing.
“We never want to limit his game. We’re always trying to add new shots and different areas where he can attack.”
Davis has also watched tape with Hanson of some of the NBA’s elite scorers, both past and present. Since Davis has a similar body type as 6-foot-11 Kevin Durant, he’s viewed video of how Durant effectively beats defenders off the dribble. There have also been tips to glean from watching, for example, the balletic low-post footwork of Hakeem Olajuwon, the unparalleled deep and mid-range shooting of Dirk Nowitzki and the technical excellence of “The Big Fundamental,” San Antonio legend Tim Duncan.
Durant last led the NBA in scoring in 2013-14, averaging 32.0 points per game. No player has averaged Davis’ current 32.1 or better over a full season since Kobe Bryant piled up 35.4 in 2005-06, during the Hall of Fame lock’s age-27 season. Which brings us to one of the most frightening aspects of Davis’ career-best individual start – he’s still only 23, the youngest player among the NBA’s current top 10 scoring leaders. Everyone else on that list is at least 26.
“He’s had to elevate his game to put the team on his shoulders this year,” Hanson said, alluding to the fact that No. 2 scorer Jrue Holiday missed the first 12 games. “It’s been good for him. He was ready for it, whereas last year he wasn’t quite ready to do that and carry the load. He’s still a young player. He’s still exploring and figuring out things he can do.”