Reacts: Lakers fans back Anthony Davis as NBA’s best defender

Anthony Davis may not be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year, but Lakers fans still believe he’s the best defender in the NBA.

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Anthony Davis was not named a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), which was perplexing given he was second in the NBA in stocks—combined blocks and steals and the Lakers’ Defensive Rating goes from 115.4 with him to 125.6 when he’s off the floor.

After this DPOY snub, Davis talked about not being a finalist and declared that he was ‘the best defensive player in the league.’

The statement coming so strong from the often calm and cool forward was a shock, but it did spark conversation on the validity of his claim.

According to our latest SB Nation Reacts poll, the majority of Lakers fans agree that AD the best defender in the league.

While Rudy Gobert, Victor Wembanyama and Bam Adebayo are all great defensive players, it does feel like, given Davis’ performance and importance on the Lakers, he should’ve been made a finalist.

Did Adebayo and Wembanyama impact the defensive side of the ball and winning on their respective teams as much as AD did? Those who watch Davis every game certainly believe he was slighted.

The best defender in the league is a strong take, but if you’re watching his performance during the first round against the Denver Nuggets, Davis has defended Nikola Jokić as well as anyone.

The Lakers wouldn’t still be playing if it wasn’t for his rim protection, blocks, steals and defensive rebounding. It’s one of the reasons head coach Darvin Ham said Davis should be at the top of the Defensive Player of the Year list in January.

While that obviously didn’t happen, AD’s impact is being felt during the biggest time of the season and it’s why calling him the best defender in the league is not a ridiculous claim, even if he doesn’t have the hardware to back it up.

He does have the awards that matter — like an NBA championship — and everyone on the Lakers knows how important he is. That’ll have to be enough for now.

Hopefully, the league eventually sees what Lakers fans have known for years: Davis is an elite defender and if there is anyone higher than him, it’s certainly not enough to snub him from even being listed as a DPOY finalist.

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