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Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. believes Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis should win the 2020 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award over Milwaukee Bucks swingman Giannis Antetokounmpo.
When asked by Kevin O'Conner of the Ringer why he believes Davis should win the award over Antetokounmpo, Nance talked about how AD makes his presence felt on defense at all times.
Article Continues Below“Just from playing I feel like I have to be more aware of where AD is on the court compared to the others. Obviously all ridiculously good, but AD this year was a menace.
“I think AD had more to clean up after.. Giannis is more of a surprise defender where you lose track of him and he catches you off guard. You always know where AD is and the amount of drives, passes he discourages just by his presence is unmeasurable. Depends on what you prefer (in regards to the NBA award).”
Davis averaged 2.4 blocks and 1.5 steals per game for the Lakers in 2019-20 before the season was suspended in March. The seven-time NBA All-Star also grabbed 9.4 rebounds per contest.
For the Bucks, Antetokounmpo put up 1.0 blocks, 1.0 steals and 13.7 rebounds. Most NBA pundits believe the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year Award will come down between Davis, Antetokounmpo and Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons.
The Bucks had the fifth-best scoring defense in the 2019-20 NBA voyage, as Milwaukee only gave up 107.4 points per game. The Lakers, meanwhile, were in third place. Los Angeles' opponents were averaging 106.9 points a night.
Both Davis and Antetokounmpo are elite NBA defenders who are always causing havoc for opposing centers and guards at the rim. It's going to be interesting to see which star wins his first Defensive Player of the Year trophy.
