Pelicans' Davis to face hometown Bulls for first time

By foxsports
Published

This has been a season of many achievements and milestones for the Pelicans' Anthony Davis, but the most personal one is just ahead.

Saturday night, Davis returns to where it all began, to his hometown of Chicago, to lead his New Orleans team for the first time in United Center, against the Bulls squad he idolized as a child.

This is Davis' third year in the NBA, but he's missed New Orleans' previous two face-offs with the Bulls in Chicago because of injury.

"I don't know," Davis smiled when asked what he was expecting. "I'm getting chills right now thinking about it. Every game before Chicago, I get hurt. I'm just excited to go home in front of friends and family and just trying to help us get a win."

For a few moments in Friday night's game versus the San Antonio Spurs in the Smoothie King Center, it looked as if this moment might get cancelled again when Davis went down with an injury to his thumb. But once the training staff wiped a little blood off, Davis was good to go.

To be clear, this is more than just a homecoming for Davis. He's going home amidst a sea of top accolades: the face of New Orleans' franchise, the new leader of Team USA Basketball and the top vote recipient by far for the Western Conference's front court in the upcoming NBA All Star game.

As of the last count, Davis has received 524,623 votes. The Clippers Blake Griffin is second with 307,908. The Grizzlies Marc Gasol is next with 227,554.   

"It's an honor and a testament to my teammates and coaches and experiences with Team USA," Davis said. "I just try to work hard, each and every day, whether it's in a game, practice or shoot around. I just try to keep getting better." 

Indeed, Davis' body is better now that he's put on more muscle and good weight. His jumper is much improved after focusing on it in the off season. Davis' defense continues to evolve, as the league's top shot blocker gets more confident in his craft.

Davis' latest focus though is on being a facilitator when double teams pressure him. The New Orleans crowd erupted as the seconds ticked down Friday night when Davis perfectly executed a pass to Ryan Anderson for a key score under incoming pressure from two Spurs defenders.

"Be a point guard – that's what coach tells me," Davis said. "You know you're a good player when you command double teams. I'm trying to learn how to find guys out of those double teams: Just be patient and know when I drive, defenders are going to step up. That's when I can find a guy who is wide open."

That's a skill Davis started to hone back on Chicago's South Side, where he grew up. Before he hit a growth spurt and became the Unibrow, Davis was a skinny guard at Perspectives Charter School who stayed on the court by running the floor, displaying savvy ball handling skills and finding his teammates.

Lessons that continue to serve Davis well today. They all certainly seem to combining to create one of the most exciting and diverse young talents the league has seen in quite some time.