Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Davis has been considered by many to be the NBA’s best center for the past four or five years, but that race has been tightened by the arrival of the new wave of elite NBA centers. Drafted No. 1 overall by the then New Orleans Hornets in 2012, Davis has been one of the most dominant big men over that span. The soon-to-be former Pelican has been a first team All-NBA selection three times, and an All-Defensive team member three times as well. He is also a six-time All-Star, winning the 2017 All-Star Game MVP that was held in New Orleans.
Although Davis is not having a career-best season numbers wise, he is still performing above his career averages. He is posting 25.9 points per game along with 12 rebounds. Shooting at an impressive 51.7 percent from the field, as well as 79.4 percent from the charity stripe, Davis is one of the NBA’s more efficient scorers. As his accolades confirm, Davis has placed himself at the top when it comes to elite defenders, averaging over two blocks per game for this season, and his career.
Embiid has the advantage statistically in most categories against Davis this season, but their individual matchups historically tell a slightly different story.
As two of the top defenders in the league, it is no surprise that when these big men face each other, their offensive numbers dip. Davis averages 20.8/12.8/2.5 splits, with Embiid posting 20/12/1.3 per contest. Despite the statistical advantage, Embiid’s 76ers have won three of the four regular season matchups. Early on in his career, Embiid was dominated by the older, and more experienced Davis. In their last two matchups, the script has been flipped, with Embiid making Davis look like a child, scoring 27.5 points per game, shooting over 50 percent from the field, all while holding Davis to 13 points on 31 percent shooting.
As their careers advance, I do expect their matchups to become more even, but I would not be surprised to see Embiid bully Davis from time to time. His confidence and skill will only grow as his game does, and that should make him a daunting matchup for one of the NBA’s best centers.
Advantage: Joel Embiid