Lakers News: All-Star Distressed After Losing Out On Major Award Yet Again
We get it, AD.
The Los Angeles Lakers are down 0-2 in their ongoing first-round series against the defending champion Denver Nuggets. The Lakers will look to bounce back when they return home for Games 3 and 4.
The Lakers will look for a better overall performance from their other guys and a similar performance, or if not better, from the defensive stalwart and superstar Anthony Davis.
Davis once again showed he is one of the best players in the world on both sides of the ball, but especially on defense. No one can move like him on that side of the ball, and by no means is there no one more impactful; at least, that's how we see it here. The NBA, its media, and its journalists see it differently, way differently.
These people didn't even name AD a finalist for the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year award. That's right, the best defender in the league is not even a finalist for the award.
We're all confused and baffled by this, and so is Davis, who is in disbelief.
He reflected on the slight in front of gathered media, including ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
"I'll never get it," Davis said. "They're not giving it to me. The league doesn't like me. I'm the best defensive player in the league. I can switch 1 through 5. I can guard the pick-and-roll the best in the league, from a big standpoint. I block shots. I rebound.
"I don't know what else to do. I'm over it," Davis insisted. "I'm just going to do what I got to do to help the team win and try to play for a championship. Accolades and individual awards, I'm done with those."
What more must this guy do to get the respect he deserves? People say he can't play most of the year; he plays a career-high 76 games. People say he's not tough enough, yet he plays through injuries we know of and possibly more than we don't know. There's a narrative that he can't seem to shake, but instead of dumping it, we seem to have it wait on the back burner so we can bring it up once it reappears. The NBA and their voters should be ashamed of themselves for leaving the best defender in the league out of contention for their top award.
Here are a couple of numbers that not only deem him worthy of a finalist but also worthy of the award. In post defense, Davis held opponents to 0.63 points per direct play on post-ups, the best in the NBA among players to defend 50 or more posts up. Regarding isolation defense, opponents shot 60% on layups and dunks against the Lakers this season when Davis was on the floor, ranking top ten in the league. When he was sidelined or sat, that number jumped to 65%, ranking 29th in the league.
His impact on the floor is literally the difference between a great defense and a below-average defense. No other defender in the league makes that type of difference, and it's a shame the NBA and its voters allow this to happen.
What a disgrace.
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