Anthony Davis has had a tough go this season with an ultra-competitive Western Conference and his New Orleans Pelicans sitting in 14th place. Yet, despite of being a 3-7 in their last 10 games, Davis still feels like a star. Not just any star, but the one that shines the brightest.

“I feel like I’m the best player in the game,” said Davis in a bold statement to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “I definitely consider myself a star in this league. There is no question about that. I don’t have to go out there and say it. Just let my game speak for itself.”

It wasn't long ago that Davis was in the running for Most Valuable Player, as his team his stride in the second half of the season and threatened to crack into the top-four of the West.

Yet the ruthless nature of this conference has 14 out of 15 teams in the running for a playoff berth, as the Pelicans; the penultimate team in the conference, sit only three games out of the eighth spot.

“It’s been a struggle with our team. We’ve been up and down. We’ve been hit with a couple injuries. I’ve been out a couple games and we are a better team than our record shows,” said Davis. “We’re a much better team than our record shows. We gotta get back to playing scrappy on defense, get back to winning basketball games.

“That other stuff doesn’t matter to me. The only thing that matters to me is this team right here, and all I can do to help this team win and what we can do as a team to get more wins. The other stuff is for guys outside the team, and media, whoever wants to look at it. For me, it’s about this team and what we can do to win.”

The Pelicans have more than just an outside shot to get in the playoffs, but it will be up to Davis to prove he's the best player in the game by propelling his team there. As it often is with the NBA, actions speak much louder than words.