NBA MVP Race: 3 Candidates And Winner's Prediction

Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis

When DeMarcus Cousins ruptured his left Achilles tendon in January, most analysts wrote off the Pelicans. Without one of their deadly frontcourt superstars, it seemed as if the Pelicans would fall to mid-table mediocrity and miss the postseason. However, since that day, Anthony Davis has elevated his game to devastating heights.

Davis’ numbers are impressive and some of his individual stat lines are borderline unprecedented. This season, Davis has averaged over 28.1 points per game, good for second best in the league, tallied with a league-high 2.6 blocks, and 11.1 rebounds per game. Maybe his most impressive individual stat line was against Miami in February. Davis scored 45 points to go along with 17 rebounds, five blocks, and five steals. His numbers alone are MVP-worthy.

Unfortunately, Davis has a similar issue to that of James this season. Not that Davis has the ‘LeBron factor’, but that his Pelicans are just not good enough. Though they have definitely overachieved this season thanks to Davis and some of his key running mates, going into the postseason as the sixth seed will not cut it. They haven’t dominated teams night in and night out and are not a real contender for a Finals appearance.