His game has come a long way in the many years he's been in Portland. We have no idea how much Davis will develop by the time he's been in the league as long as Aldridge.
“At an MVP level,” [Monty] Williams said, when asked to describe Aldridge’s play this season. “He’s finally get the due that he’s been wanting for a while. He won’t admit it, but that’s what he wants, to be seen as an MVP-type player. He’s finally starting to get that notoriety, something that we’ve known for a while. He knows where he’s going to get the ball. He’s had a chance to be a little bit more versatile, but you know he’s going to be on that left block.
You know what he’s going to do and you still can’t stop it. That’s a sign of an elite player.”
Even today, and even some Portland fans, don't fully appreciate just how much LA affects opponent coverage on defense when he is on the basketball court. You know what he's going to do, you plan for it, you set up your entire help D around stopping him, you send doubles, you send triples, and he still goes for 18. There should be no question that LA is an Alpha dog. I think Davis has a LOT of potential, but he's not there yet. He's putting up great numbers so far, and has a wealth of athleticism. Davis just needs time to mature his game.
Davis leads the NBA in blocks per game, and the new Frenchman Ajinca is averaging a block a game. This was the only block of the game against LA.
http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=0021300401&GameEventID=75#
Weak side help, and LA still got an offensive (team rebound) and maintained possession.
By the way, if you haven't checked out the recent thing on NBA.com where you can click on any play during the game (in the play-by-play) and get a video clip of it, it's pretty GD awesome.
Lillard's dagger 3.
http://stats.nba.com/cvp.html?GameID=0021300401&GameEventID=500#
CLUTCH! And after taking the charge with 5 fouls. So good.