LeBron James lauded his new Los Angeles Lakers teammate Anthony Davis as a likely candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year award, following a narrow win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
Davis came up with a crucial stop in the winding seconds of regulation, stopping a late 9-0 run by the Thunder and securing yet another win for the Lakers. James had nothing but praise for his co-star:
“We know how great AD is defensively,” said James, according to Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. “He’s right there right now probably as the Defensive Player of the Year if you just look at the numbers and what he’s been able to do.”
Lakers’ LeBron James on Anthony Davis: “We know how great AD is defensively. He’s right there right now probably as the Defensive Player of the Year if you just look at the numbers and what he’s been able to do.” pic.twitter.com/b2bt7z2kSA
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) November 20, 2019
Davis led the way with 34 points, but filled the stat sheet with seven rebounds, four assists, four steals, and two blocks — sprinkling bits of effort all around the court.
The Brow also got more touches on the post, which had been a concern for head coach Frank Vogel after recent outings.
Davis is averaging 25.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 3.1 blocks per game — the latter which leads the league. Yet his defensive rating is still 100.4, which would put him in the outside circle of the conversation against Kawhi Leonard (96.1), Joel Embiid (95.0), or two-time defending DPOY Rudy Gobert (99.4).
There's a lot of season left and plenty of time for Davis to validate James' words, but that is only foddering for now, as the Lakers have just gotten their season started in rousing ways.
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