Continuing our top 25 list, we shift our focus to Anthony Davis. The Los Angeles Lakers big man is an elite two-way star. Let’s analyze Davis’ game and place among the NBA’s best.
Top 25 NBA Players 2024-25: No. 12 – Anthony Davis
A Dominant Two-Way Star
Few stars can rival Davis’s two-way excellence. Davis’ athleticism and agility allow him to anchor a defense all while being able to guard every position. Davis is one of the league’s best shot blockers and his presence deters opposing offenses from attacking the rim. With an absurd combination of rim-protection and versatility, Davis has a legitimate case as the league’s best defender. Despite his defensive excellence Davis has only finished top-three in Defensive Player of the Year voting twice in his career. Davis is also one of the league’s best rebounders.
Offensively, Davis is a dominant interior presence and consistent scorer capable of averaging 25 points a night. Davis is also incredibly mobile and has great handles for his size. However, Davis sometimes lacks offensive aggression and has declined as a mid-range shooter in recent years. Regardless, Davis’ dominant interior play combined with world-class defense cements him as an elite star.
Season Recap
Davis is coming off the healthiest season of his career which is an incredibly encouraging sign for the injury-prone 31-year-old big man. Davis averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 1.2 steals. Notably, he was named to first-team All-Defense and second-team All-NBA. Impressively, Davis finished top-10 in offensive and defensive win shares. Furthermore, he ranked in the 93rd percentile for both offensive and defensive plus/minus.
While Davis had a successful individual season the Lakers’ overall season was underwhelming. The Lakers did get off to a solid start and won the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament. However, they ultimately finished as a 7-seed with 47 wins and were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Davis averaged 27.8 points, 15.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.6 blocks. Notably, this was the second straight year Davis led the playoffs in rebounds per game. Considering the high-level production the Lakers got from Davis and LeBron James their lack of success is curious and disappointing.
AD Playoff Career:
26.1 PPG
62.2 TS%
84.0 FT%
11.8 RPG
3.5 SPG + BPG
1x ChampionExcellent playoff performer since day 1. Highly efficient play finisher. Monster rebounder on both ends. Perfect chess piece for playoff defense. All-time run in ‘19-‘20. Impressive resume. pic.twitter.com/yYKWHiXRcs
— NBA University (@NBA_University) July 11, 2024
Season Outlook
After a disappointing season, the Lakers elected to run it back with virtually the same roster. However, they made one massive change by firing head coach Darvin Ham and hiring JJ Redick as his replacement. Redick has discussed empowering Davis in the Lakers’ offense. As a result, it’s fair to expect a slight scoring jump from Davis. Expanding his range and re-gaining his mid-range jumper is something to watch from Davis this upcoming season. With such a similar roster the Lakers will have to count on Redick developing a more fluid offense while Davis and LeBron continue their elite play. Davis could also sneak into the top three of DPOY voting although that will largely depend on the Lakers’ team defense success.
The Last Word
While Davis lands just outside the top 10 his two-way abilities give him a solid case to rank within the top 10. What holds Davis back is the occasional lack of aggression on offense and his team consistently disappointing in the regular season. Nevertheless, Davis is clearly one of the league’s most talented and impactful stars. With a productive season and some more team success Davis could cement himself as a top 10 player.
