Anthony Davis is currently in his eighth NBA season. The versatile big man has accomplished a lot during his career. He is now in a good position to win his first NBA title with the LA Lakers.

Davis is on a team that knows how to win. He spent his first seven seasons in New Orleans, and we’ll take a look at who his first NBA coach was.

Anthony Davis has become one of the best big men in the league

Davis was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the New Orleans Hornets. He had high expectations coming out of Kentucky, where he had a successful college career. During his rookie season, he averaged 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. Davis was named to the All-Rookie First Team. After his rookie season, Davis improved his game.

He led the league in blocks in back-to-back years in his second and third NBA seasons. Davis quickly established himself as a top defensive player. In 2015 he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Davis was the franchise player when he was in New Orleans. As his career progressed, he started to develop an outside game, which made it tough for defenders to guard him. 

He already dominated in the post and with him adding a mid-range to his offensive game made him that much better. Though Davis was having individual success during his career, the team’s success was not there. While he was in New Orleans, Davis made it to the playoffs only twice. He wanted to win, and he realized that would not happen if he stayed in New Orleans. So he was traded to the Lakers to team up with LeBron James, and now the Lakers are one win away from playing in the Western Conference Finals.

Monty Williams was Anthony Davis’ first NBA head coach

When Davis joined New Orleans, Williams was in his third season as the team’s head coach. He took the team to the playoffs two years prior as they lost to the Lakers in the first round. New Orleans was looking to rebuild with Davis on the team. New Orleans was Williams’ first head coaching job, and before that, he was an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers from 2005 to 2010. 

Williams led New Orleans to two playoff appearances during his time there, and after five seasons, he was let go. He then served as associate head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2015 to 2016 and then served as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers from 2018 to 2019.o

Monty Williams joining the Phoenix Suns as the head coach

Williams found himself back in the head coaching role in 2019, joining the Phoenix Suns. The Suns had a 26-39 record during the 2019-20 season before the pandemic put the season on hold. Phoenix was invited to the NBA bubble to compete for a playoff spot. Williams led that Suns team to an impressive performance in the bubble.

The Suns went 8-0 in the bubble but failed to make the playoffs. Even though they didn’t make the playoffs, the Suns were among the most exciting teams to watch in the bubble. Williams was named the All-Seeding Games Coach of the Bubble after the Suns’ performance. The Suns have a bright future ahead of them, and with Williams at head coach, they will continue to move in the right direction.