Lakers Role Player Believes Anthony Davis Deserves More Respect For This Element Of His Game
Anthony Davis has long been one of the best players in the best basketball league in the world.
The Los Angeles Lakers big man has been an absolute force over his 11 seasons in the NBA and looks like all but a certainty to be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame when his career comes to a close.
Since he was traded to the Lakers in the 2019-2020 season, he's expanded his offensive arsenal. His 26 points per game to go with just shy of 10 boards per contest helped win a championship in his first year in LA, and Davis' development of a reliable mid-range shot played a big role in that.
He's been one of the best big men of this generation when he's healthy. That's an undeniable fact.
But Laker guard Austin Reaves believes that his superstar teammate hasn't gotten enough respect when it comes to his defense, as he told Stephen Jackson and former Laker Matt Barnes on their All The Smoke podcast.
“He’s obviously a good person to have on your team, especially defensively. I don’t think he gets enough credit for what he does (defensively) for us as guards. Knowing you have him as a rim protector, you can be more physical, more aggressive, you can shoot passing lanes and know if they get in the paint then it’s going to be tough to get two anyways. He’s arguably right behind LeBron as the most skilled player I’ve ever seen."
The impact that a dominant big can have is huge, and Reaves is more than correct in his assessment.
Davis hasn't won Defensive Player of the Year honors, but he's a four-time member of the NBA's All-Defensive teams during his career, and having that caliber of a rim protector definitely helped the Lakers in their run to the Western Conference Finals this past year.
He has advanced lateral quickness, and his ability to be a great second-level defender makes teams around the league force perimeter shots at times, rather than attack one of the best defenders in the NBA.
Davis deserves that distinction, and Austin Reaves wants to make sure that doesn't fly under the radar.
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