If you’re a basketball junkie, the NBA on Christmas Day is like, well, Christmas.
If you’re more of a casual fan, you’ll likely wait until the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors duke it out in their NBA Finals rematch at 5 p.m. ET or flip on the television at 10:30 p.m. to watch Kobe Bryant’s final Christmas Day game.
Allow us to suggest another option: Start watching at noon, and catch one of the league’s greatest young stars in a rare appearance on the national stage.
We’re talking, of course, about All-Star big man Anthony Davis, whose New Orleans Pelicans kick off the NBA’s five-game slate against the Miami Heat.
If you haven’t heard much about Davis, it’s because he plays on a mediocre Pelicans team that’s been ravaged by injuries this season. Swingman Quincy Pondexter has yet to play in a game while guards Tyreke Evans and Norris Cole didn’t return until early December, leaving Davis to carry the team on his massive shoulders.
And carry them he has.
The 22-year-old phenom’s stats speak for themselves. He’s among the league leaders in scoring (10th with 23.2 points per game), rebounding (tied for 5th with 10.8 per game) and blocks (2nd with 2.7 per game), and his 24.9 player efficiency rating is the highest among NBA power forwards.
Davis has taken huge strides each season, earning his first All-Star nomination during the 2013-14 campaign and being named to the All-NBA First Team in 2014-15. But he added something to his game this season that could transform him from great to transcendent: a 3-point shot.
At 6-foot-10, 253 pounds, Davis isn’t exactly built like a long-distance shooter. Over his first three seasons, he attempted 27 3-pointers and made just three. But the Kentucky alum put in the work this offseason and amazingly is hitting 31 percent of his 3-pointers (13 of 42) entering Christmas. He’s also knocking down midrange jumpers on a consistent basis, as his 2-point shooting percentage is above 50 percent for the fourth consecutive season.
In essence, Davis is a shot-blocking rebound machine who can bully you inside and throw down thunderous slam dunks or drill a clutch 3-pointer with a game on the line. Case in point: In a Nov. 22 game against the Phoenix Suns, Davis racked up 32 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks and drilled a 25-footer with under one minute left to lift the then-3-11 Pelicans to a 122-116 win.
The former No. 1 overall pick will face another budding defensive star on Christmas in Miami center Hassan Whiteside, but Davis’ rare ability to take over the game on both ends of the court sets him apart from the rest.
New Orleans will play on national television just eight more times this season, so before you dig into Christmas dinner, turn on the TV and feast your eyes on Davis and the Pelicans. Because you never know when he could pull off something like this:
Thumbnail photo via Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports Images
