Earlier today I happened upon a conversation about a trade involving Anthony Davis for Paul George. At the time it was more of a circle jerk over Paul George’s greatness than a debate, but that’s not really the point. Predictably, everyone wanted George; sports media outlets have been drooling over the best player on an extremely good Pacers team lately. George’s production is undeniable — he is a superstar, simple as that. Currently George is ranked 3rd overall in Yahoo! leagues, behind only Chris Paul and Anthony Davis.

I, however, would take Davis without hesitation. My justification follows:

Statistical Comparison:

Davis: 43%fg, 92%ft, 0 3ptm 21.2pts, 11.4rbds, 1.4asts, 2.2 stls, 4blks, 1.4to

George: 48%fg, 84%ft, 3.2 3ptm, 25.8pts, 8.2rbs, 4asts, 1.8stls, .6blks, 3.2to

The categories are split pretty evenly, 5-4 in favor of Davis. Although, I’d expect them to switch leads in FG% and FT% sometime down the road. Obviously these guys are both top tier fantasy assets. (It’s also worth noting that Paul George is shooting, absurdly, almost 45% from deep.)

The supremacy of shot blocking:



I’d take Davis, however, thanks to his Kevlar shot blocking skills. Blocks are easily one of the rarest, and therefore the most valuable statistics in 9 category leagues. Blocks are generally a competitive, yet low volume category; it’s not uncommon to see managers ignore blocks altogether and still win it once in a while.

But someone like Davis, who’s blocked shot total feels more like a dissociative hallucination at first, can single handedly carry this category for you every week. This type of domination in any statistical category is essentially non-existent in the NBA, creating a rare and potentially lucrative opportunity. Take a minute to look at the top 10 shot blockers so far this season:

Hibbert – 5.2 Davis – 4.0 B. Lopez – 3.0 Chandler – 2.5 Horford -2.4 Josh Smith – 2.3 R. Lopez – 2.3 Faverani – 2.2 D. Jordan – 2.0 David West – 2.0

And here’s the top 10 from 2012-2013 :

Ibaka – 3.0 L. Sanders – 2.8 Duncan – 2.7 Hibbert- 2.6 Howard – 2.4 Noah – 2.1 B. Lopez – 2.1 McGee – 2.0 A. Davis – 1.8 Biyombo – 1.8

Both cases demonstrate a steep drop in production from #1 to #10. Biyombo produced 40% less swats than Ibaka and still finished in the top 10. The disparity is even greater so far this year. While Davis and Hibbert have to slow down eventually, this is a marginal advantage that will remain significant throughout the season.

I happen to own Hibbert this year and, brace yourself, I’m 1st in blocks this week with 24. A team with Horford and McGee (1.8) has 23, one with Davis has 21, and a team with Brooke Lopez has 20. No one else in the 12 team league bests 15. Roy alone has 12, I don’t even have another player ranked in the top 30 for blocks. This kind of advantage is an albatross, they don’t come around that often.

Now, I’m not saying George’s numbers aren’t completely phenomenal. They are, no doubt. But his production in any one category can be found elsewhere. Paul George is a monster, but Anthony Davis is a monster who also locks up the one of most valuable and competitive weekly categories. Give me the latter, 10 times out of 10.