By all metrics, the Anthony Davis NBA takeover should have been in full swing by now. Only, be it injuries to himself or his teammates, it hasn’t quite panned out for the transcendent big man just yet. This season has been more of the same, with the New Orleans Pelicans (as of this writing) mired in last place of the entire league at 2-10. But things could look up sooner rather than later with the expected return of guards Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans.
“It’s good news,” Anthony Davis said Tuesday when asked about the team’s starting backcourt.“ “They are two big pieces to our team. It’s good for everybody. It’s going to be good to have them back on the floor, and Jrue being Jrue.”
Anthony Davis has been the lone bright spot for the Pelicans this season, starting out the season with back-to-back monster games (50-15-5-4, followed by a 45-17-3-2 stat line). This wins, though, have been hard to come by despite the great numbers that have him averaging 30.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks.
Jrue Holiday took a leave of absence two months ago to care for his pregnant wife and former US Women’s National Team Lauren Holiday. As noted by Ball Don’t Lie, the former USWNT midfielder was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor last September.
Lauren has since given birth to the couple’s daughter and had a successful surgery to remove the tumor.
In 65 games last season, Jrue Holiday averaged 16.8 points, six assists and three rebounds, on his way to becoming a Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
For Tyreke Evans part, he returned to practice Tuesday and is expected to get back to action soon, though no timetable has been set. Last season, Tyreke Evans averaged 15.4 points five rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.
