Anthony Davis of the Lakers says he will “never” win NBA DPOY: “It’s The League Against Me.
Anthony Davis, hailed as the linchpin of the Los Angeles Lakers, expresses dismay at missing out on the Defensive Player of the Year accolade in the league. “This will never come my way,” he shared with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, expressing his frustration. “They’re not giving it to me. The league doesn’t like me.I am the league’s top defensive player. I can switch from 1 to 5. I can protect the pick-and-roll in the league. From a big-picture standpoint, I block shots.”
“I don’t know what else to do. I completed everything. I will simply carry on with my work to support the team’s victories and championship runs. Awards and personal accolades,”
Davis was excluded from the finalists’ list still competing for honors this season.
Nine-time All-Star has garnered DPOY votes in five separate seasons, but hasn’t been included in voting since being a runner-up in 2019-20.
Injuries have played a role directly. In the next three years, he appeared in 36, 40, and 56 games, respectively.
This year, stability wasn’t as much of an issue for Davis as he recorded 76 appearances. One would hope that averaging 2.3 blocks and 12.6 rebounds per game along with his defensive presence would be enough to at least guarantee some DPOY votes, if not to win.
Since the media (and not the league itself) votes on the NBA’s individual awards, many Lakers fans will categorize it in such a way that either the writers have failed to properly recognize Davis’s defensive accomplishments or are deliberately overlooking him for some reason.
Yet, it’s not just the media that has overlooked the 31-year-old when considering the league’s top defenders in recent times.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Josh Robbins unveiled the results of an anonymous player survey on Monday. When asked about the NBA’s best defender, Davis wasn’t among the top 15 responses and instead found himself in the “others receiving votes” category.
Davis’s leadership in blocking shots during pivotal moments for the NBA and his versatility make it clear why he did not win defensive player of the year. However, considering his age, it seems he could be sidelined.