Is Anthony Davis the Best Defensive Player in the NBA?
AD Believes He Will Never Win DPOY Because the League ‘Doesn’t Like Him’
Major Snub?
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year nominees were announced and there’s one glaring omission. The three finalists are Rudy Gobert, Victor Wembanyama, and Bam Adebayo. The one name who is obviously snubbed from that list is Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis.
The 2023-24 #KiaDPOY finalists:
⭐️ Bam Adebayo
⭐️ Rudy Gobert
⭐️ Victor Wembanyama pic.twitter.com/1RoZsV6kDR— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 21, 2024
He consistently put on a defensive clinic this year but wasn’t even a finalist for the award. Anthony Davis’ stats were very good. He was fourth in the NBA with 2.3 blocks per game while also grabbing 9.5 defensive rebounds and 1.2 steals. Lakers games have not gone well on the defensive end when Davis isn’t on the floor, which is a testament to the kind of impact he has.
Anthony Davis really blocked without even jumping 😭😭😭😭😭😭
DPOY pic.twitter.com/vymSmSpsrL
— ADHD (@ADHDGoat) April 14, 2024
This isn’t the first time Davis has been snubbed for the award and he doesn’t believe it will be the last.
Anthony Davis Believes He’s the Best Defensive Player
Davis has been gunning for the DPOY trophy for years and this year seemed like one of his best chances to get it. Now he won’t even get a shot at the award. Davis clearly wasn’t happy about the NBA news .
“I’ll never get it,” Davis told ESPN. “They’re not giving it to me. The league doesn’t like me. I’m the best defensive player in the league. I can switch 1 through 5. I can guard the pick-and-roll the best in the league, from a big standpoint. I block shots. I rebound.
“I don’t know what else to do. I’m over it. I’m just going to do what I got to do to help the team win and try to play for a championship. Accolades and individual awards, I’m done with those.”
Anthony Davis on not being a finalist for DPOY:
“I’ll never get it. The league doesn’t like me. I’m the best defensive player in the league. I can switch 1 through 5. I can guard the pick-and-roll the best in the league, from a big standpoint. I block shots. I rebound.”
(via… pic.twitter.com/gYfkNV0oKB
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 22, 2024
It’s difficult to justify leaving Davis off the finalist ballot in favor of Bam Adebayo. Davis has more blocks, defensive rebounds, and steals per game than the Miami Heat star. It’s also worth noting that Rudy Gobert is often taken out of close games toward the end due to issues on offense. Davis is always on the court for the most important minutes and is often asked to do a lot on defense.
It doesn’t make sense why he’s not a finalist, especially after playing a career-high 76 games this season.
