(Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers need Anthony Davis to be healthy and stay on the floor if they want to stand a chance to compete this season.
The media and the fans gave him a tough time throughout the course of the offseason, urging him to be more consistent and bring his best effort night in and night out, and that has been the case thus far.
Besides his impressive offensive numbers, a tweet shared by NBACentral recently put into context just how dominant he has been on the defensive end of the floor, holding some great offensive players to poor shooting percentages.
He held Kevin Durant to 6 of 14 shooting, Bam Adebayo to 4 of 11, Franz Wagner to 4 of 11, Jusuf Nurkic to 3 of 9, Paolo Banchero to 3 of 7, Bismack Biyombo to 0 of 4, and Jaren Jackson Jr. to 0 of 4 (via NBA Stats).
Some of Anthony Davis’ defensive matchups this season:
Kevin Durant: 6/14 FG
Bam Adebayo: 4/11 FG
Franz Wagner: 4/11 FG
Jusuf Nurkic: 3/9 FG
Paolo Banchero: 3/7 FG
Bismack Biyombo: 0/4 FG
Jaren Jackson Jr: 0/4 FG
DPOY?
(Via @nbastats ) pic.twitter.com/FsYJFEA2M6
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 15, 2023
Davis’ talents have never been put in question.
He’s obviously one of the best rim protectors in the league, and his ability to alter everything in the paint has always been elite.
Even so, it seems like the Lakers are far from their best right now.
LeBron James and Davis have balled out, but the rest of the supporting cast has been lacking, up to the point where coach Darvin Ham even sent Austin Reaves to the bench.
If he keeps this up, Davis will definitely be one of the frontrunners to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, and if the Lakers turn things around, he should be an MVP candidate as well.
The post Numbers Show How Anthony Davis Is Shutting Down NBA’s Best appeared first on The Cold Wire.