Anthony Davis is not among the finalists for the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year award. The Los Angeles Lakers big man cannot fathom why he continues to be excluded from the discussion. He believes his defensive impact is up there with the best defenders in the NBA.
“I’ll never get it,” Davis told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “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.”
Davis has been seen as a defensive juggernaut throughout his career. His size and athleticism make him a difficult opponent when he’s protecting the rim and he can operate on the perimeter and contain ball-handlers as they attack off screens. This season, he’s averaged 1.8 blocks, 1.2 steals and boasts a defensive field goal percentage of 47.3%.
However, the Lakers haven’t been a defensively sound team this year. They finished the regular season ranked 17th in the league in defensive rating. Rudy Gobert’s Minnesota Timberwolves finished 1st in that category. Bam Adebayo’s Miami Heat were fifth. Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs were 21st, yet it’s impossible to argue with his individual impact as a rim protector.
As such, Davis’ snub may be a product of his team’s malaise. The Lakers have multiple star-level talents on the roster. Their inability to defend at a high level likely played on voters’ minds. If the veteran big man wants the recognition he deserves, he may need to hold his team to a higher standard on the defensive end and emerge as a genuine leader within the rotation.
Davis is too good to end his career without a Defensive Player of the Year award. It’s up to him if he can change the current narrative.
