blocks

Jim Eichenhofer

The men who’ve most frequently witnessed Anthony Davis’ shot-blocking prowess know better than anyone why it’s wise to avoid challenging the hyper-athletic, 6-foot-10 power forward around the basket. Asked recently if Davis regularly rejects shots during Pelicans intrasquad games, reserve 7-foot-2 center Alexis Ajinca pointed out that the 22-year-old actually rarely gets a chance to block someone at the team’s Metairie practice facility.

“Not that much, because we all know what he’s capable of,” a smiling Ajinca said. “Guys always try to make him jump, then they pass it.”

That’s sound strategy for offensive players around the NBA when going up against Davis, who’s on pace to repeat as the league’s blocks champion, this time by an even greater margin than his first title in 2013-14. Through March 26, the two-time All-Star was averaging a career-best 2.91 blocks per game, nearly a half-block greater than second-place Hassan Whiteside of Miami (2.49). Last season, Davis averaged 2.82 blocks, edging runner-up Serge Ibaka (2.70) of Oklahoma City.

According to ESPN.com, over the past 10 NBA campaigns, the only players to average three-plus blocks in a full season are Ibaka, Marcus Camby and Andrei Kirilenko. Davis could soon reach that level; he averaged 1.75 blocks as a rookie but has improved both seasons since.

“That’s very impressive,” said Ajinca, who is averaging 1.9 blocks per 36 minutes this season. “To have two or three a game is very impressive. To be that consistent is tough. There aren’t that many players who do that.”

En route to what will be the NBA’s seventh different repeat blocks champion over the past 20 years (Ibaka, Dwight Howard, Camby, Theo Ratliff, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo have also repeated since 1994-95), Davis has delved into some uncharted defensive territory. A sampling of some of the Kentucky product’s block-related accomplishments in 2014-15:

Prior to the March 4 game vs. Detroit, Pistons Coach Stan Van Gundy joked that the Pelicans were making a terrible decision by allowing Davis to return from a right shoulder injury, sarcastically saying that the two-time All-Star was not ready to perform.

“He’s a huge help to their defense because of his length and shot-blocking abilities,” Van Gundy said. Van Gundy’s comments came before Davis blocked eight Pistons shots. Davis became just the third player in NBA history to pile up at least 39 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks in the same game, joining Hakeem Olajuwon (43-16-8 in 1994) and Dwight Howard (45-19-8 in 2009). Just another noteworthy night during what’s been a record-setting Year 3 of Davis’ pro career. 

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Anthony Davis on pace to repeat as NBA blocks champion by substantial margin

Just seconds after meeting brand-new Pelicans teammate Omer Asik for the first time this summer, Anthony Davis realized that the pairing of big men could be extremely beneficial for the All-Star power forward. Upon introducing himself to the 7-foot, 255-pound Asik while both players were in Spain for the FIBA World Cup, Davis listened as Asik explained that he’s content to handle the less glamourous tasks under the basket, such as vying for boards against bulky opponents.

“He told me and Coach (Monty Williams) when we were overseas,” a laughing Davis remembered, “ ‘I don’t want the ball. I just want to defend and rebound.’ I looked at Coach and said ‘I’m cool with that, Coach! I’m cool with that.’ ”

After hearing Asik’s intentions, Davis said his smile was as wide as “the Kool-Aid Man’s.”

Davis’ grin was similarly large following Tuesday’s 101-84 victory over Orlando, a game that was dominated in the paint by the two Pelicans bigs. Davis piled up 26 points, 17 rebounds and a career-high-tying nine blocks, while Asik accumulated 14 points, 17 rebounds and a career-high-tying five blocks. Those numbers represented the first time teammates had posted 15-plus rebounds and five-plus rejections in the same game since 1998, when the Hall of Fame duo of Tim Duncan and David Robinson achieved the feat for San Antonio.

While the national media focus this week understandably will be on Davis’ 26-19-7 line – the first of its kind in the NBA since Dwight Howard posted 30-19-10 in November 2008 – Davis noted the subtle ways Asik contributed to the rare statistical performance.

“He’s a big body, can defend, rebound, run the floor,” Davis said of Asik. “I don’t have to worry so much about rebounding when he’s in the game defensively. He kind of spaces the floor for everybody. He’s a load in the paint, so you get a lot of easy looks.”

“It’s relaxing,” Asik said of his new inside partner Davis. “He does many things, so I don’t have to do much. So we are helping each other on the court. It’s been good.”

At times Tuesday, Davis and Asik played volleyball on the backboards against the smaller Magic, tapping missed shots repeatedly off the glass before converting a point-blank shot. The duo combined for 16 offensive rebounds. Ryan Anderson added seven offensive boards of his own, leading to New Orleans amassing 26 in that category.

In part due to their new interior combo, the Pelicans also limited the Magic to just 38.1 shooting from the field, but it’s worth noting that of Orlando’s 52 missed shots, nearly one-third were swatted by New Orleans (17 blocks).  The Pelicans came within one rejection of tying their single-game franchise record of 18, which was set last season vs. Charlotte.

The last time Asik was a full-time starter, with Houston in 2012-13, he averaged 1.1 blocks. The Rockets signed him in free agency in ‘12, partly due to the reputation Asik built as an outstanding defender with the Tom Thibodeau-led Bulls. Despite being a backup, Asik was often on the floor during crunch time, replacing Joakim Noah on the backline of the team’s defensive scheme.

“That’s what I saw in him when he was in Chicago,” Williams said of Asik’s defense. “He was only playing less than half the game, (but) when he came into the game, their defense went through the roof. There were times when he would finish (games in the fourth quarter), just because he was so good on that end... When he and AD are talking, and our communication is good in pick-and-rolls, I think it’s something we’re only going to get better at.”

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Anthony Davis-Omer Asik duo enjoys smashing debut

1: Anthony Davis' and the Pelicans’ NBA ranks in blocked shots last season

If there were one skill everyone knew would translate from college to the NBA for Anthony Davis, it was his elite shot-blocking around the basket (and also occasionally beyond the three-point arc). Davis averaged a ridiculous 4.7 blocks per game as a University of Kentucky freshman in 2011-12, one factor behind the Wildcats’ run to a national title.

Davis averaged a solid 1.8 blocks as a New Orleans rookie, more impressive when you consider he only logged 28.8 minutes per game. But in 2013-14, like with the rest of his game, Davis took his shot-blocking to another level, ranking No. 1 in the NBA by swatting 2.8 shots per contest. Some of that increase was due to a bump in playing time (average of 35.2 minutes), but even on a per-minute basis, he was noticeably more effective. For every 36 minutes on the floor, Davis blocked 2.9 shots, compared to 2.2 in that stat as a first-year pro.

The 21-year-old All-Star’s knack for rejection spearheaded New Orleans to tops in the league in blocks, with a team average of 6.4 swats per game. The Pelicans blocked a total of 523 shots, 22 more than second-place Oklahoma City’s tally of 501.

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Countdown to Pelicans training camp: 1 day

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