Anthony Davis is still a dominant force on the NBA court, in case people needed reminding yesterday. Despite approaching his mid-30s, it doesn't look like the healthy version of Davis has lost a huge step. This would be a welcome sight for the Washington Wizards and give them a huge reason to feel vindicated for the buy-low trade they made at last season's deadline.
In his first game since Jan. 8, Davis played 17 first-half minutes and put up 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a block. He shot 6-for-11 from the field, and what was maybe the most encouraging stat of the day: 2-for-3 from distance.
Davis has all of the makings of being a good shooter. He's elite in the mid-range and effective from the free-throw line, but his three-point percentage hasn't been above 30 since the 2019-2020 season. If Davis can get back to being a respectable long-distance threat, the Wizards' offense could be even more lethal.
Anthony Davis' spacing would do wonders for this offense.
The Wizards are already dealing with some spacing concerns. AJ Dybantsa is already a high-level shot creator, but his three-point shot is the skill that needs the most development of his. Alex Sarr can shoot, but he's historically been in the low-30s percentage-wise. Deandre Ayton is a non-spacer, and Bilal Coulibaly hasn't been much of a shooting threat so far in his career.
This is where Davis comes in. If the Wizards are getting the Davis of the past couple of years, where he hovers around 27-29 percent from three, then that could create some relatively serious spacing issues in the starting lineup.
However, if he can at least get his percentage back up into the low 30s, then not only will his game be the beneficiary of that, but the entire team will be as well. Davis is already a dominant scoring force from anywhere inside the arc; if he can be a true three-level scorer, that will open up so many lanes for Dybantsa and give Trae Young and Sarr much more space to work with in the pick-and-roll.
The preseason game could very well have been a one-off, but there were lots of encouraging signs. He looks noticeably leaner and more mobile, and playing next to Ayton, they dominated the glass. The Wizards are coming into the season as one of the more underrated squads, and if Davis' shooting is real, the NBA landscape may be shocked to see how explosive this offense can be.
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