Anthony Davis was rated higher than Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2020 - how the Bucks star has turned that around

After the 2020 title win, Anthony Davis was viewed as an better player than Giannis Antetokounmpo. What has happened since then?

Anthony Davis played a huge role in the Los Angeles Lakers' quest for the 2020 NBA championship. He was a dominant force on both ends of the floor that helped the Lakers win their 17th title in franchise history. At the same time, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a great year, winning the MVP and DPOY awards. But his team lost in the second round.

After this, many rated AD higher than the Greek Freak. They said the Lakers star was going to take the next step and become the MVP of the league. But a lot has happened since then. Let's look at how these players have performed in the meantime and how Giannis undisputedly became the better player in the eyes of the majority.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

After a disappointing 2020 season, the Bucks acquired Jrue Holiday; a premier point guard who could guard the opposition's best player. Giannis also was on a roll that year, and the Bucks finished the regular season as the third seed. They battled into the NBA Finals, where the stage was set for Giannis to show his worth.

The Greek Freak put on a show, giving his team one historic performance after another. In the series decider, Giannis dropped 50 points which helped the Bucks win their first title in over 50 years. Antetokounmpo was named the Finals MVP and finally secured the crown as the best player in the world.

In the following year, Antetokounmpo put up another MVP-level campaign, and the Bucks were the Number 1 seed in the East. His performances in the playoffs were on another level, and he solidified his hold as the best in the world. But without Khris Middleton, the Bucks were over-matched, and they lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games in the second round.

This season, Antetokounmpo has started hot, looking to add a 3rd MVP trophy to his cabinet, all while leading Milwaukee to the top of the standings a quarter into the season.

Anthony Davis

After the success in 2020, AD and the Lakers were on a roll. They looked like the favorites to repeat until Davis suffered an injury. After a while, the Lakers lost LeBron James as well. Los Angeles tumbled down to the play-in tournament without their two superstars in the lineup. They were able to win the game to get into the playoffs and set up a showdown against the Phoenix Suns.

The eighth-seeded Lakers looked capable of upsetting the first-seeded Phoenix Suns, but Davis suffered an injury again. The team lost its momentum, and they tumbled out of the playoffs.

The following year, the Lakers made a big move to acquire Russell Westbrook, but that experiment failed as they didn't even make the play-in tournament. Davis was also plagued with injuries throughout this season, and he was not the same player he was before.

This season, the Lakers squad is not looking too promising, but at least AD is back to form, averaging 27.2 ppg and 12.6 rpg, looking like the best version of himself. If Los Angeles wants to make any kind of noise, they will need the big man to keep it up.

Conclusion

While Giannis has taken a massive leap forward, Davis has regressed quite a bit. His three-point game, which made analysts consider him better than Giannis, had evaded him consistently. 

Until recently, his midrange game was average, and his touch at the rim disappeared. He started off this season well, looking like the old Davis, but he still has a long way to go to catch Giannis, the best player in the world today, as there is really no debate about who is the better player among the two nowadays.