Unquestionably a top-three defender in the NBA, All-Star big Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers has been one of the best defenders in basketball since he set foot on an NBA floor in 2012.
He is one of the best perimeter defenders in his position because of his exceptional quickness for his size and ability to guard the rim, which is essentially generational. It follows that his four-time selection to the All-Defensive Team and three-time league block leader status are not surprising.
Despite participating in a career-high 76 regular season games this year, AD was inexplicably excluded from the Defensive Player of the Year Finalist list by the league and media.
LA’s subpar team defense is the reason used against Davis, but it also works in his favor. Unlike players like Bam Adebayo and Rudy Gobert, who play with numerous good to exceptional defensive players, he had a lot on his plate. Davis doesn’t play with any partners.
Victor Wembanyama also had poor team defense, but he made it to the finals. Both his counting stats and optical appeal were excellent, but Davis’s argument was bolstered by the fact that he led the league in each of the aforementioned metrics.
Due to the theory of a deterrent effect—which suggests that players avoid driving at them and trying shots over them—which is difficult to quantify statistically, defense is difficult to gauge in the league. This increases the value of counting statistics, which favor Davis. However, all three finalists have compelling arguments; Davis only has one more.
