Anthony Davis did not take well to being excluded from the finalists for DPOY

In recent hours the NBA announced the finalists for all individual awards for the 2023-24 season, among them were the 3 players who will compete for the award of Defender of the Year. A Rudy Gobert e Victor Wembanyama, big favorites to win the DPOY, was joined by. Bam Adebayo, who definitely starts one step behind the 2 Frenchmen. Who was not selected was Anthony Davis, according to many worthy of mention at least among the finalists. And also according to the Los Angeles Lakers’ long man himself, this year on the court for even 76 out of 82 games.

On the eve of Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets, Davis expressed all his bitterness at being excluded from the finalists for Defensive Player of the Year. These are his words to ESPN:

I’ll never understand it. They don’t want me to win it, the NBA doesn’t like me. I’m the best defender in the league, I can switch from 1 to 5, I can guard the best pick and roll players among the longs. I block shots, I get rebounds. I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do. I’m done with it, I’m going to keep doing what I have to do to help my team win and try to compete for the title. I’m done with individual awards and all the other awards.

This season, Anthony Davis maintained 2.3 stoppages (4th in NBA) and 1.2 recoveries on average. ESPN also cites some advanced defensive statistics in which AD has excelled: for example, he is first in the NBA in post defense (0.64 points allowed per possession), in the Top 5 in isolation defense (0.83 points allowed per possession) and among the best in defending the iron (opponents shot 60% in layups and dunks against Davis, 10th NBA defense in these situations, while when the long man sat on the bench percentage rose to 65%, 29th in the NBA).

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