Los Angeles Lakers: 5 Reasons why Anthony Davis is the DPOY favorite
By Ethan Temkin
4.) Versatility
One of the things that immediately jump out about Anthony Davis is his versatility as a defender. Most big men lose their effectiveness when they’re left to guard an opponent out on the perimeter after a switch, but not Davis.
His length, quickness, and superior footwork allows him to seamlessly switch onto smaller opponents and make life incredibly difficult for them. He has the perfect combination of physical tools, and defensive IQ to consistently put himself in a position to make a defensive play.
A perfect example of this versatility is a recent game against the Utah Jazz, where Davis closed out on Bojan Bogdanovic, and Bojan faked the shot attempt causing Davis to fly by for what should have been an open three. Instead, Davis was able to recover and block Bojan’s shot attempt.
Davis has been making plays like this all season, in addition to his already impressive interior defense, which was on full display in a close game against the Denver Nuggets. With a 1:40 left in the 4th quarter and the Nuggets making a run, Davis absolutely negated Nikola Jokic on a post-up to get the Nuggets within striking distance.
These two instances are only a drop in the bucket of the defensive versatility Davis displays on a nightly basis, and all you really need to do to get a glimpse of Davis’ defensive versatility is tune in to any Laker game and simply watch.