In a performance reminiscent of Michael Jordan, Anthony Davis scored 50 points in the Pelicans' opening night loss to the Denver Nuggets. Davis was just simply dominant, playing defense and seemingly scoring at will. Yet the Pelicans lost. Due to injuries and a lackluster roster, Davis just doesn't have any consistent additional support in New Orleans.
The way the Pelicans are currently built, Davis will have to shoulder the majority of the burden every single game. Because of this, it wouldn't be surprising if Davis has several more high-scoring performances this season. But how many points will Davis actually average? Well, according to Kevin Durant, Davis will be such a prolific scorer that the Pelicans superstar will lead the league in scoring.
From ESPN's Chris Haynes:
"[Anthony Davis is] probably going to lead the league in scoring this year easily ... 50 for him is a good game, and now [he's like] move it to the next one," Durant said.
Durant is one of the league's best scorers, so making a statement like this shows how much respect and belief he has in Davis' game. It is also not inconceivable that Davis could lead the league in scoring because again, he has to literally do it all for the Pelicans.
Davis has never averaged more than 24.4 points a season and will need to put up close to 30 points a game for Durant's prediction to come true. Davis' health has also been a problem in the past and there are other players like Stephen Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Durant himself, who could win the scoring title too. But if he can remain healthy, Durant could be right. Perhaps Davis could lead the league in scoring.
