{"id":31648,"date":"2020-06-24T08:00:58","date_gmt":"2020-06-24T12:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/?p=31648"},"modified":"2020-06-24T08:20:32","modified_gmt":"2020-06-24T12:20:32","slug":"top-30-nba-players-anthony-davis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2020\/06\/24\/top-30-nba-players-anthony-davis\/","title":{"rendered":"Last Word on Pro Basketball\u2019s Top 30 NBA Players: Anthony Davis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although ranking the top 30 NBA players in today\u2019s game is an incredibly difficult task, The Last Word on Pro Basketball staff has taken it on. Coming in at number seven in the countdown is Los Angeles Lakers’<\/a> power forward Anthony Davis<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Top 30 NBA Players<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Number 7 \u2013 Anthony Davis\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Chicago native began his basketball career as a member of the Kentucky Wildcats from 2011-12. In one season with the team, he averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 62 percent from the field. He quickly gained popularity for his size and athleticism, and well as for his unibrow. Davis was drafted first overall in the 2012 Draft by the then New Orleans Hornets<\/a>. He played in New Orleans for seven seasons and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Strengths<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Anthony Davis is one player that possesses an amazing defensive vision. His long arms and height make him an elite shot blocker and rebounder. This season Davis averages 2.4 blocks and 9.4 rebounds per game. His defensive contributions currently make the Lakers the number one team<\/a> in blocks and eighth in rebounding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the defensive strengths, Davis has also improved offensively, especially from the perimeter. Averaging 26.7 points per game, he is shooting 33 percent from three-point range and 55 percent from mid-range.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Weaknesses\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Although Davis is an explosive defensive disruptor for many teams, he does not have an established post-up ability in his game. There’s no doubt that Davis is capable of towering over players for a block or a dunk. But when it comes to the traditional playmaking abilities of a big man, he rarely plays with his back to the basket.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Considering that the big man’s role has significantly changed due to the league being fast-paced, there isn’t a dire need for him to constantly post-up. However, in situations where the Lakers compete against teams with a “blue-collar” style of play, Davis could be in a tough spot where he’s forced to post-up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Strength is also an area that Davis lacks in. Again, when he’s in a situation where he has to play with his back against a player, he could be outplayed many times, which could cost the Lakers opportunities to score.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Career Accolades<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Throughout his college and NBA career, Anthony Davis has been at the top of many leaderboards and has won several prestigious awards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In his one-and-done season<\/a> with Kentucky, he led the team to an NCAA Championship title. He also won the 2011-12 AP Player of the Year award, the Naismith Award, and was on the 2011-12 All-SEC First Team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the NBA, Davis has led the league in blocks in the 2014-15 and 2017-18 seasons. He made the 2012-13 All-Rookie First Team, as well as made the All-Defensive and All-NBA teams, either first or second-team for two consecutive seasons from 2016-18. Furthermore, Davis has made seven consecutive All-Star appearances since his sophomore season and was awarded the All-Star Game MVP in 2017.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last Word on Pro Basketball Top 30 NBA Players Ballots<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

We believe in full transparency in the top 30 NBA player rankings so we are going to disclose the ballots of our player rankings and where each contributor had each player ranked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tyler Marling<\/a> \u2013 Site Manager \u2013 7th
\nChase Gage<\/a> \u2013 Managing Editor \u2013 7th
\nDavid Knight<\/a> \u2013 Marketing Manager \u2013 4th
\nZack Kircher<\/a> \u2013 Associate Editor \u2013 8th
\nMatthew Waldman<\/a> \u2013 Associate Editor \u2013 5th
\nDavid Ward<\/a> \u2013 Associate Editor \u2013 6th
\nAvinash Chauhan<\/a> \u2013 Contributor \u2013 8th
\nAdam Zigner<\/a> \u2013 Contributor \u2013 5th
\nAlbert Dadson<\/a> \u2013 Contributor \u2013 10th
\nDylan Guest<\/a> \u2013 Contributor \u2013 7th
\nRaheem Bashir<\/a> \u2013 Contributor \u2013 7th
\nNathan Levine<\/a> \u2013 Contributor \u2013 10th
\nBill Huan<\/a> \u2013 Contributor \u2013 7th<\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>