Davis is known as the leader of the group of empty-cutting groups. His personal strength is indeed excellent, but his team-leading ability is not good.

On May 9, countless talented stars have emerged in the history of the NBA, but there are very few players who can take into account both personal performance and team honors. Anthony Davis is such a controversial superstar - he has historical physical talent and offensive and defensive skills, but he has always been questioned for his lack of leadership ability. If it weren't for joining the Lakers to join forces with LeBron James in 2019, this top inside player, who was nicknamed by fans, might not have been able to touch the glory of the O'Brien Trophy in his career.

Davis' basketball talent is rare in a century. He is 2.08 meters tall but has a terrifying arm span of 2.33 meters. With the agility and coordination of defenders, this gives him unparalleled dominance on both sides of the offense and defense. After entering the league as the No. 1 pick in 2012, he quickly showed his all-round skills: he can not only achieve breakthrough scores with excellent face frame technology, but also rely on soft touch to hit mid- and long-distance shots; the defensive end is the perfect answer for modern basketball, from guarding the penalty area to changing defense from outside. In the 2017-18 season, the 25-year-old Davis averaged 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.6 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 53.4%. He was selected for the All-Squad Team and the All-Defensive Team without any suspense. That season, he even created an amazing performance of 53 points, 18 rebounds and 5 blocks in a single game, which shocked the entire league.

However, in sharp contrast with dazzling personal data, it is an embarrassing reality that Davis has never been able to lead the team further. In his seven seasons with the Pelicans, he made only two playoffs, with only one breaking through the first round. The second round trip of the 2017-18 season seemed to be a breakthrough, but it was actually achieved through the threading of the veteran point guard Rondo. More often, what we see is the helpless scene where Davis scored 40+10 data, but the team still lost. The game against the Pistons on April 11, 2016 was a classic - Davis scored 59 points, 20 rebounds and 4 assists, setting a single-game score record for active players at that time, but the Pelicans lost in overtime. This image of "data brush" has gradually become popular, and the joke of "slashing the group of people" has spread wildly.

After an in-depth analysis of Davis's leadership difficulties, we will find several key factors. First of all, his technical characteristics have obvious shortcomings - as an inside player, his low-post back-playing skills have always been not proficient enough and rely too much on face-frame attacks; his organizational ability is relatively limited, making it difficult to drive teammates through passing. Secondly, Davis's leadership temperament has always been questioned. He is relatively restrained and lacks the paranoid spirit of "winning or dying" like Jordan and Kobe. More importantly, the Pelicans management has never been able to create a suitable lineup for him, either lacking high-quality shooters to open up space or lacking reliable organizers to sort out the offense. These factors together lead to the dilemma of Davis having top-notch strength but being difficult to transform into team victory. The

Transfer appeared in the summer of 2019. Davis, who was 26 years old at the time, took the initiative to apply for a deal and eventually joined the Los Angeles Lakers to form a fantasy combination with LeBron James. This transfer completely changed Davis's career trajectory. With James, the historic organizer, Davis no longer needs to take too much organizational pressure and can focus on the ending and defense he is best at. This perfectly demonstrated this point during the 2019-20 season - during the regular season, Davis averaged 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.3 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 50.3%; the playoffs increased to 27.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks, becoming the mainstay of the Lakers' offense and defense. Especially in the key battle against the Heat in the Finals, Davis dominated the game on both offense and defense many times, and eventually helped the Lakers win the 17th championship trophy in team history.

's cooperation with James gave Davis an unprecedented tactical support. James can not only accurately find Davis in the open position, but also share the offensive pressure at critical moments. More importantly, James' presence prevents Davis from taking on the spiritual burden of leading the team alone. This complementarity was fully demonstrated in the 2020 playoffs - when James organizes the offense, Davis can focus on scoring and defense; when the opponent doubles over Davis, James can stand up in time to take over the game. This "1+1>2" effect is exactly the value of super combinations.

Looking back at Davis's career, we can clearly see the growth trajectory and limitations of a talented player. His personal abilities are beyond doubt, and he can even be said to be one of the most comprehensive big men in NBA history. But basketball is a team sport after all, and it is difficult to go too far based on personal heroism alone. Davis' struggles during the Pelicans' period are in stark contrast to his success during the Lakers' period, which fully demonstrates the importance of the right team environment to the development of the stars. If the Lakers did not join James, Davis would probably have the ability but never had the title, just like Kevin Garnett when he was in the Timberwolves.

Davis, now 32 years old, is still continuing his career. Despite being plagued by injuries in recent years, he is still one of the league's top inside players. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.3 blocks per game, and his shooting percentage was as high as 55.6%. As James gets older, Davis is taking on more leadership responsibilities. Although the Lakers' competitiveness has declined, Davis has proven that he can play a decisive role in the top stage - a star in stark contrast to the Pelicans' era who only knows how to "snap" the star.

Davis' story teaches young NBA players an important lesson: personal talent is just the starting point of success, while teamwork and leadership are the keys to determine heights. In a modern basketball environment that emphasizes personal data, Davis’s experience reminds us that real greatness is not about how much amazing data is created, but whether these abilities can be translated into team victory. From "smashing group owners" to champions, Davis's transformation is not only personal growth, but also the best interpretation of the essence of basketball.