Getty Anthony Davis, formerly of the New Orleans Pelicans drives on Kevon Looney of the Golden State Warriors.
NBA Handles Week is a week dedicated to honoring one of the league’s more slept on, yet beautiful, arts. While in recent years players like Kemba Walker and Kyrie Irving have dominated the highlight reels with their slick arsenal of moves, some of the NBA’s young crop of big men are making their mark as well.
Among some of the top big men with handles are Denver’s Nikola Jokic and the newly acquired Lakers superstar Anthony Davis. The Lakers decided to give a shoutout to their new big man to show him some respect during NBA Handles Week.
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Lakers Shoutout New Superstar Anthony Davis During NBA Handles Week
Posting a highlight reel clip of Davis’ smooth handles to Instagram, the Lakers also went as far as to call Davis the big man with the best handles in the NBA – and they aren’t wrong. Despite playing in the small market of New Orleans on a number of lackluster teams, Davis has repeatedly shown the ability to put his defender on skates. Davis also possesses grace and agility not normally seen in players of his size and uses his elite body control to his advantage when taking the ball inside against fellow big men.
While Jokic offers some strong competition as the big man with the best handles, Davis likely has him edged out closely in that department while Jokic is a bit more of a refined (and flashy) passer. Davis’ athletic gifts only help complement his strong handles and make him a nearly unguardable weapon when he decides to put the ball on the floor and attack.
Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins Reunited Once Again on the Lakers
The duo of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins was once one of the NBA’s most feared frontcourts. Dominating on the Pelicans before Cousins went down with his infamous Achilles’ injury, Davis and Cousins showed off natural chemistry playing alongside one another. Both are hyper-talented big men with the ability to dribble, pass, and shoot at WELL above-average levels for their position. This versatility allowed them to keep the paint relatively clear as one could easily drop back behind the three-point line and still be a threat – dragging their defender out of the post.
Cousins is the big question mark regarding the duo and his ability to prove that he can be the same impact player he was prior to his Achilles’ injury is going to be a major focal point this season. If he returns to full health (or close to it), the Lakers will be giving LeBron two All-NBA talents to play alongside. Even if he doesn’t return to form the Lakers were able to land him on an extremely team-friendly contract. At just above the league minimum, there is fairly low risk to the Lakers taking a gamble on Cousins considering his massive upside.