The New Orleans Pelicans have one of the best players in basketball on their team in Anthony Davis, and after locking him up to a huge extension, they are going to do everything in their power to ensure he continues to improve his game. The most recent move they have reportedly made to help Davis' growth is signing Kendrick Perkins to a deal, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
While it may not seem like the signing of Perkins is much help to the Pelicans or Davis on the surface, it is being reported that New Orleans sees him as a mentor of sorts to Davis. Let's not forget that while Davis has already become one of the best players in the NBA, he is still only 22 years old and has room for growth.
Davis is already superb on both offense and defense, but where Perkins can help him is with leadership and learning what it takes to win. Davis made his first appearance in the playoffs last season, and although you can't blame Davis personally, the Pelicans were swept in the first round. Perkins was a huge part of the Boston Celtics team that won the NBA Championship in 2007-08 as the starting center playing next to Kevin Garnett.
Perkins was never known as a guy that would provide anything offensively, as evidenced by his career scoring average of 5.5 points per game, but he has always been known as an elite post defender. In his 12 seasons in the NBA, Perkins has amassed 26.7 Defensive Win Shares, which shows how helpful he has truly been to his teams on that side of the ball.
Perkins is coming off a season where he didn't get much playing time between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he is well respected and if he is asked to play, he can still grab rebounds and play solid defense down low. Odds are that he won't be asked to play many minutes with the Pelicans next season, as they are pretty much set in the front court, but he is still capable of contributing if asked. Perkins' value next season will likely come from practice when he goes against Davis and the work he does with the young superstar off the court. The Pelicans are likely hoping that by spending a season with Perkins, some of that toughness will rub off on Davis and he will become a true winner that is ready to lead his team to bigger and better things.
