With Anthony Davis on the floor, the Los Angeles Lakers have one of the NBA’s stingiest defenses and it is a large reason why the team was able to climb to the top of the Western Conference.
Throughout the season, Davis routinely showed how much of a force he can be and it is a large reason why he was pegged as one of the favorites to win Defensive Player of the Year. After their recent game against the Orlando Magic, Kyle Kuzma supported his teammate’s bid to win the award.
Former Laker and current Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. also revealed who he thought should win this year’s NBA awards and pegged Davis as the DPOY.
— kuz (@kylekuzma) July 26, 2020
NBA award time.. what do you guys think?
MVP- Giannis or Bron?
DPOY- AD
ROY- Ja
6MOY- Lou, Trezz, or Schroder?
MIP- Can’t go wrong with either Bam or Ingram
— Larry Nance Jr (@Larrydn22) July 24, 2020
Players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert have legitimate cases as well, but Nance explained why he thinks Davis is the most-deserving.
Just from playing I feel like I have to be more aware of where AD is on the court compared to the others. Obviously all ridiculously good, but AD this year was a menace
— Larry Nance Jr (@Larrydn22) July 24, 2020
Antetokounmpo and Gobert are the clear defensive tone-setters for the Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz respectively, but it is hard to ignore Davis’s versatility and overall impact. The Lakers have enjoyed several shutdown stretches in games, and Davis was almost always the catalyst in those moments.
While the seeding games in Orlando will not be considered for the voting process, Davis did more than enough during the regular season to claim his first DPOY.
Anthony Davis argues for LeBron James to win MVP
While Davis has been trumpeted by the Lakers as the DPOY, the team is also looking to push LeBron James to the forefront of the MVP conversation.
Antetokounmpo was the runaway favorite during the season as the Bucks simply dominated the competition, but James made a late push that may make the voting process more difficult than originally anticipated.
For all does for Los Angeles both on and off the court, James has a legitimate case to win his fifth MVP trophy and Davis added more fuel to that fire. “The things he’s doing at his age. I mean, he’s playing one of his best years on a top team in the West,” Davis said.
“The things he’s able to do on the floor, especially when everybody was saying he was washed and should hang it up, he’s come back with a dominant performance. And then just to be in the race at his age and point in his career, for me to see it every night, the things he does on a consistent basis, he’s been doing it his whole career. I think it’s a good argument for him to be MVP.”
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