Yesterday, the three finalists for Defensive Player of the Year in 2023-24 were announced. They are Miami’s Bam Adebayo, Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert, and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama. All three are deserving of the award this season. After being left off the ballot, Lakers’ big man Anthony Davis voiced his frustrations.
The last time Anthony Davis was on the DPOY ballot was his 2019-20 campaign. That was his first season with Los Angeles and Davis finished second in DPOY voting to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Davis feels like he is being disrespected by the league for not being a DPOY finalist this season. What would Davis have to do to win the award?
Will Anthony Davis ever win Defensive Player of the Year in the NBA?
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)
In the past, you could argue that Anthony Davis’ playing time was the reason he wasn’t in consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. Before 76 games in 2023-24, he failed to play 60 games in three straight seasons. However, Davis missed only six games for Los Angeles this season and was arguably their best perimeter defender. Davis’ ability to guard every position makes him one of the most versatile defenders in the NBA.
During the 2023-24 regular season, Davis averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game. That was the third-most rebounds per game and the fourth-most blocks this past season. Miami’s Bam Adebayo was on the Defensive Player of the Year ballot this season and was not top-five in rebounds or blocks per game. You can’t blame Anthony Davis for feeling slighted when he statistically is outperforming other players in consideration for the award.
Wait Anthony Davis didn’t even get a single vote??He gotta show out tonight. pic.twitter.com/V4UfDzbKoT — 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 (@SixthManJake) April 22, 2024
Despite wanting to be in consideration, Anthony Davis is shifting his focus to the team and making a run in the playoffs. He claims to be done with the accolades and awards. His sole focus is on helping Los Angeles make a run to the NBA Finals. It’s not going to be easy to do that with the Nuggets as their first-round matchup. The Lakers will be on the road again tonight to face Denver in Game 2 of the Western Conference first-round playoffs.
