At 22 years old, Anthony Davis is one of the favorites to win the Most Valuable Player Award in the 2015-16 season.
His production in 2014-15 certainly makes a strong case for the power forward, as he averaged 24.4 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game and 2.9 blocks per game. MVP-worthy numbers, no?
In putting up those numbers in the regular season, Davis also shot 54 percent from the field and 81 percent from the free-throw line, all in about 36 minutes per game. In the four postseason contests against Golden State, Davis had video game numbers, averaging 31.5 PPG, 11.0 RPG and 3.0 blocks per game.
This is his fourth season in the league.
Davis has improved with every season, too. He has shot over 50 percent from the field in each season, and his rookie season was his least efficient, which wasn’t bad for a rookie at all (13.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 1.8 BLKPG.)
The same should be expected in 2015-16, and Davis could make a strong case for the MVP Award. If he does win it, he will be the first big man since Dirk Nowitzki won it in 2006-07.
Offensively, Davis’ numbers could even increase and surpass the 25 PPG mark, which is where it will likely need to be for Davis to earn the rightful consideration. Individual production is not the concern for Davis.
Rather, it’s his team.
The last five MVP winners have led their teams to 67, 59, 66, 46 (shortened season) and 62 wins. While the New Orleans Pelicans continue to improve, we all know how difficult the Western Conference is top to bottom.
Last season, the Pelicans won 45 games and were eighth in the West. Their 45-37 mark would have been sixth-best in the Eastern Conference behind the Washington Wizards at 46-36.
It’s not often an MVP winner comes from a team that is not on a contender. Whether that’s fair or not, it’s reality. Last season, despite the Pelicans getting the eighth-seed in the playoffs, Davis finished fifth-place in the MVP voting behind Curry, James Harden, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook with 203 points.
The 6-foot-10 power forward will need a Pelicans jump in record to get serious consideration for the award. Davis can be as efficient and productive on the floor as ever, but New Orleans will need to be one of the better teams in the West for these MVP aspirations to become reality.
Davis is a once in a lifetime talent, and will certainly be the future of the NBA for years to come. He could flourish in Alvin Gentry’s new offense, but if the past is any indication for this upcoming season, Davis may not win the coveted award just yet based on team results.
And if Davis becomes a threat from long range, as some have indicated, he’ll be even more dangerous on the court.
The question remains, do you give the MVP to a team perhaps competing for a playoff spot? While he’s certainly valuable to his team, recent history points to the opposite. Since 1955-56, 23 winners have come from a team that has won the NBA championship that same year.
If Davis does win the MVP Award, perhaps players on non-contenders could be considered in the future, which is good for the league. Rather than make the voting a popularity contest, production and value need to be the deciding factors.
Team success is crucial, too. There are not many instances where the award is not given to a player on one of the top seeds in the conference, usually within the top three.
For Davis to be the 2015-16 MVP Award winner, the results of the New Orleans Pelicans may mean more than Davis’ numbers.