3.) Narrative
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a portion of what goes into awards voting is the overall narrative surrounding a player. For Davis, he has that going in his favor as well. Let’s lay out the story.
He was traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Los Angeles Lakers, and is immediately teamed up with one of the greatest players of all time in LeBron James, and with it, an insane amount of expectations.
Not only does he exceed expectations by helping the team get out to one of the best starts in franchise history, he plays a huge part in transforming a middling Lakers defense last year, into an elite defensive unit, currently ranked 2nd in the NBA.
Another aspect that plays into building a narrative for an award is the highlight factor, which Davis also has in spades. Most recently, Davis had a game-saving block against Harrison Barnes which was done with the calmness one has when opening a bag of chips.
If SportsCenter is consistently showcasing your defensive contributions, chances are that’s gonna resonate with voters.