Despite Anthony Davis leading the NBA in scoring at 31.7 points per game and playing at an MVP level, the injury-riddled Pelicans lack depth and are once again struggling out of the gate; 4-10 to start the season.
It is still very early and the Pelicans are 2-0 since Jrue Holiday returned to the lineup, but there seems to be a very real possibility that Davis could be on his way to missing the postseason for the fourth time in his first five seasons in the NBA.
Despite all of that, and the lack of talent or depth around him, Davis is making it known that he is committed to making New Orleans a winner, as mentioned in an interview with The Vertical writer Shams Charania.
“My desire to win here is the same,” Davis told The Vertical. “I go out there and play. I don’t care what the record is. I just go out there and play. I have to lead this team and make sure my guys are always happy and high energy. I don’t care what people say about our team. They’re not in our locker room seeing us, not part of our group. That’s all white noise.”
Davis has the right attitude. He willingly signed a long-term extension early on and legitimately seems to enjoy playing in the Big Easy. He feels a responsibility to turn the franchise around.
Davis and his agent also know that he is basically powerless to play anywhere else or even push to play anywhere else for at least the new few seasons as his extension is just kicking in.
Either way Davis’ commitment to the process is refreshing, but that sort of loyalty will diminish if the franchise continues to fail to bring in talent around him. Davis is locked in as a Pelican for now, but the clock will be ticking to turn it around sooner than later.
Allowing the team to bottom out and get another top five pick again this season may be the best bet for the Pelicans moving forward, but don’t tell Anthony Davis that.
