The seven-seeded Los Angeles Lakers advanced past the first round against the two-seed Memphis Grizzlies. Los Angeles won convincingly in game six, with a final score of 125-85. This Los Angeles team isn’t a traditional seven-seed. However, with the trade deadline acquisitions of Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Mo Bamba, and Davon Reed. With their new players, as well as superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers now have a revamped roster capable of making a postseason run.
This Is the NBA’s Best Defender
One huge reason the Lakers can go deep into the playoffs is big man Anthony Davis, who was a pivotal co-star for the Lakers when they won the Finals in 2020. Yet, surprisingly, Davis, now 30, doesn’t have a Defensive Player of the Year award on his resume.
Nonetheless, he’s still making a convincing case for why he should be considered the best defensive player in the league. Davis made two-time NBA All-Defensive First Teams (2018 and 2020) and two-time NBA All-Defensive Second Teams (2015 and 2017). In addition, he’s also a three-time NBA blocks leader (2014, 2015, and 2018). He’s also ranked 17th on LWOS’ NBA player rankings, in large part due to his defensive ability.
During the six-game series against Memphis this year, Davis averaged incredible defensive stats of 13.5 rebounds, 4.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game. In the series-clinching game six, Davis recorded 14 rebounds and five blocks.
The Case for Anthony Davis
With his six-foot-ten height and seven-foot-wingspan, Davis can often block, alter, and contest shots throughout the game. In addition to his rim protection, AD is athletic enough to switch onto guards on the perimeter in pick-and-roll situations. He is everything you want in a defensive player in today’s NBA. Offenses are built around exploiting matchups through switches.
Davis is an ideal defender in those situations as someone who can guard out on the smaller guards and switch back to protect the paint when needed. According to FiveThiryEight’s RAPTOR playing rating, Anthony Davis is second in defensive rating. He has a rating of +5.1 on defense, which is only behind Alex Caruso, who has a rating of +6.1. Caruso is also a great defender and deserves recognition. But he only plays an average of 23.5 minutes per game compared to Davis’ 34 minutes.
In addition to the ten extra minutes a game, frontcourt players are typically more impactful on the defensive end. They’re relied on heavily to protect the paint, rebound, and switch onto guards when needed. Even though Davis comes in second in the defensive RAPTOR rating, he gets the nod over Caruso as the more impactful defensive player. This is because of Davis’ increased minutes and positional value compared to Caruso and other perimeter players.
Why Hasn’t Davis Won DPOY Yet?
Given Anthony Davis’ athleticism, length, and knack for the ball, it’s surprising that he has yet to win a Defensive Player of the Year award. One reason may be Davis’ lack of games played each season because of his unfortunate injury history. This season, he played 56 games. Last year, he played 40 games; the year before, in the 2020-21 season, Davis was limited to 36 games.
While he needs to play more games throughout the season to be considered for a Defensive Player of the Year, there is arguably no one more impactful on the defensive end than Davis when he’s healthy. The statistical analysis and the eye test suggest that Davis is arguably the best defensive player in the entire NBA.
He played a pivotal role in the Lakers’ 2020 championship run and performed similarly so far this postseason on the defensive end. If Davis can stay healthy and play defense at this level, the seven-seeded Los Angeles Lakers will have a fighting chance in any series. Hopefully, Davis can remain healthy and continue positively contributing to this Lakers team this postseason, particularly on the defensive end.
