It was a turn of events when JJ Redick became the head coach of the Lakers after leaving Davis in his 10-player voting position for the 2024 NBA All-Defense awards.
Davis had one of his best defensive seasons to date in 2023-24, averaging 12.6 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game during the regular season.
But the Lakers' overall poor defensive performance was the reason Redick left Davis off his ballot, he recently explained.
“There's a big difference between being a top-10 linebacker and making the All-Defensive team,” Redick said. SiriusXM NBA Radio. “There is a difference between the two. Anthony Davis is one of the two or three best defensive players in the NBA. … I did this two years ago where I explained all my votes. And of course you have to consider stats, advanced stats and, of course, team performance on defense. And both years, I weighed in on how the team did defensively. “
Although Redick did not vote for him, Davis was named to the All-Defensive First Team, after receiving a voting score of 151 out of a possible 198.
The big man was also fourth in voting for NBA Defensive Player of the Year, behind Bam Adebayo in third place, Victor Wembanyama in second place and Rudy Gobert in first place.
Redick thinks AD is at a point where he can earn DPOY honors.
“I thought Anthony was in great shape this year, and for me he had a great defensive season,” he said. NBA.com recently. “To me, he's one of the top five defensive players in the NBA, full stop. I would love to coach him once he gets Defensive Player of the Year. I think he's that level of defender.”
The Lakers rank 17th in the league in defensive rating (114.8) and are 11th in both blocked shots per game and defensive rebounding percentage in 2023-24. The franchise's average has improved steadily (113.4) during the postseason.
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