Anthony Davis is not a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award

Some people think this has been Anthony Davis’ best season ever. He played in a career-high 76 games, including the season’s tournament finale or the Los Angeles Lakers’ only play-in tournament game, and he averaged 24.7 points on 55.6% shooting, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 blocked shots per game.

You can make an argument that he is the best defensive player in the NBA. Not only is he a monstrous threat at blocking shots and protecting the rim, but he can also get to the perimeter and guard players at any position effectively.

However, when the league announced the three finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year award, Davis did not make the cut.

The finalists for the 2023-24 Kia ​​NBA Defensive Player of the Year pic.twitter.com/MVKaJnYN53

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 21, 2024

Perhaps the Lakers’ modest 47-35 regular-season record and the fact that they ranked 17th in the defensive rankings had something to do with Davis not being a finalist for this honor.

Perhaps this will give him some extra motivation as the Lakers look to tie their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 on Monday.