Anthony Davis is really good.
And he’s about to get even better.
Sure, there’s the organic improvement that comes with progressing from a young, budding, superhuman alien to full-fledged cyborg. Davis is only 22, so the things he does well now, he will do even better later.
As for the one thing he doesn’t do, well, he’s working on that.
Correct, Davis is stretching his offensive range beyond the three-point line.
This has been a thing for a while, but New Orleans Pelicans head Alvin Gentry coach confirmed that Davis has made developing his three-point touch a top priority, per The Advocate‘s Ted Lewis:
Steve from Marrero: What specifically are you doing to develop Anthony Davis’ offensive game?
Gentry: We’re going to spend a lot of time on increasing his shooting range, especially to corner 3s. Every day he goes into the gym, he needs to make 150 corner 3s from each side. That’s got to become a consistent shot for him. I don’t think that’s going to be problem for him because, if you go back to his high school days, he was a very good shooter. He still has that range, but I don’t think it’s been incorporated into his offense since then.
That sound you hear is all 29 other NBA teams panicking.
Davis, the $145 million man, has attempted just 27 treys through his first three seasons, making just three. But he already does everything else imaginable, so it’s completely feasible that he hones a deadly outside shot.
We’re talking about someone who can score off the dribble, post up, drain mid-range jumpers, rebound, block shots, force steals, run the floor and defend all five positions. Stroking threes shouldn’t be a problem.
No, he’s not the next (oversized) Stephen Curry. But the NBA is a pace-and-space league that now implores—and will soon demand that—its bigs stretch defenses with long-range chops.
Davis, at only 22, already spaces the floor to some degree, and in due time, assuming he works on his three-ball, will be an even bigger, more versatile offensive threat.
Our condolences to the NBA’s 29 other teams, who don’t stand a chance at stopping him as it is, and who now, with this news, don’t even have a puncher’s hope in hell of being able to game plan for him later.
