Anthony Davis earned a unique distinction during the 2023-24 NBA regular season. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar was the one and only player in the Association to earn both All-NBA and All-Defense honors.
Due to the Lakers' underwhelming regular season and first-round exit from the playoffs, however, Davis' elite level of play has been quickly forgotten.
Davis' accolades added to what's become a résumé that will enable him to casually stroll into the Hall of Fame one day. He's now a five-time All-NBA honoree, with four First Team nods and one Second Team selection, as well as a five-time All-Defense selectee.
Davis is also an NBA champion, NCAA champion, and two-time Olympic gold medalist, and is rapidly approaching both 20,000 career points and 10,000 rebounds.
2023-24 was one of his greatest seasons to date, with two-way brilliance that helped salvage what was nearly an entirely lost Lakers season. He anchored the defense, scored at virtual will, and reminded his skeptics of how downright elite he is.
Statistically, he averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game. Beyond the numbers, the question is simple: Just how good was Davis in 2023-24?
Anthony Davis was traditionally dominant on offense
Davis was long criticized for playing too far from the basket and not embracing the physicality of the game. 2023-24 was a tremendous departure from that reputation, as he took the ball inside and made the offensive interior his domain.
That begins with the simple fact that Davis averaged 24.7 points per game on 55.6 percent shooting from the field, as well as a mark of 81.6 percent at the free throw line.
Davis' success was predicated on his ability to move toward the rim and get just about everything he wanted in the process. That's proven by the fact that, on a per-game basis, he ranked No. 1 in the NBA in second-chance points, and No. 4 in both points in the paint and points via post-ups.
Davis also recorded his highest assists per game average since 2018-19 and the second-highest offensive rebounding numbers of his NBA career.
2023-24 also marked the third time in his career that he's averaged at least 24.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.0 offensive rebounds per game. Since the offensive rebound was first tracked as an NBA statistic in 1973-74, only Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, and Bob McAdoo have hit those averages in more seasons than Davis.
The two players with whom Davis is tied for the fifth-most seasons at those averages or better: Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson.
Anthony Davis enters Kareem territory with defense factored in
With his elite production on offense acknowledged, the focus shifts to defense—where Davis saved the Lakers from outright disaster. With key defenders Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent appearing in a combined 40 games, Davis was the first and last line of defense in Los Angeles.
That's exactly why the former Kentucky Wildcats star contested the fourth-most shots per game in the NBA when factoring in a minimum of just 40 games played.
For a prominent rim protector, that's a ranking that most are likely to expect. What's a bit more surprising, however, is that he contested more threes than any other center and the 11th most shots from beyond the arc of any player—regardless of position.
Somehow, Davis still found a way to pull down 9.5 defensive rebounds per game while blocking an average of 2.3 shots and coming up with 1.2 steals on that same basis.
Expanding the aforementioned criteria, Davis produced his third career season averaging at least 24.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.0 offensive boards, 2.0 blocks, and 1.0 steal per game. Since the tracking of offensive rebounds began in 1973-74, only Abdul-Jabbar has compiled more such seasons than Davis.
Furthermore, Kevin Garnett is the only other player to hit those marks since the turn of the century. In other words: The answer to the question of how good Davis was in 2023-24 comes down to one simple word.
Generational.