In every preseason poll, there’s been one constant layer of disrespect that nobody’s talking about: Anthony Davis has been completely forgotten.
The New Orleans Pelicans’ superstar was left off every MVP prediction and overlooked for any possible award he could receive. Karl-Anthony Towns apparently is the new “it” star in the NBA, according to everyone, and the often-injured Davis is simply a thing of the past.
Except he isn’t.
The Pels’ 23-year-old star reminded us all of that Wednesday in his season debut, posting an incredible stat line of 50 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, seven steals and four blocks in 41 minutes in New Orleans’ 107-102 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
A notable stat: He nearly posted a famous 5×5 line (five or more of points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks), falling just one block short of a feat that’s only been done 20 times in NBA history — making it rarer than a perfect game in baseball.
And Davis did set a bit of history: He’s the first player ever to post a line of 45 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game since steals officially started being recorded in 1973, per Elias Sports Bureau. Had he accomplished the 5×5 game, he’d have scored by far the most points ever in one of them (the current high is 38 by Hakeem Olajuwon in 1987).
Additionally, Davis joins Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Michael Jordan as the only other players to score 50 or more points in their season openers in NBA history. Jordan holds the record with 54.
We’ll take a moment to casually remind everyone that two seasons ago, Davis led the Pelicans to the playoffs with what was statistically the 12th-best season EVER. And he did so at just 21 years of age.
Watch out, NBA. The Anthony Davis revenge tour is headed to a city near you.
Thumbnail photo via Chuck Cook/USA TODAY Sports Images