Anthony Davis has been a talking point among analysts before the start of every season for the past few years. The ifs and buts surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers player is a never-ending debate. Recently, LeBron James’ former teammate – Richard Jefferson, discussed his potential to win the Defensive Player of the Year in his podcast ‘Road Trippin’.
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According to the former 2016 NBA champion, Davis will not be able to sustain the level of performance for the entire season. He also stated that even if the player wins the DPOY, it doesn’t guarantee a championship. Players like Nikola Jokic, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Rudy Gobert might be too much to handle for the Lakers center.
Richard Jefferson doesn’t believe Anthony Davis can win DPOY
In the YouTube podcast – ‘Road Trippin’, Richard Jefferson talked about the Los Angeles Laker’s chances of winning the NBA championship along with Anthony Davis’ contention for the Defensive Player of the Year award. Jefferson believes Anthony Davis has the potential to win the award but faces challenges from players like Nikola Jokic. Here is what he said,
“Even if Anthony Davis plays at the level of a Defensive Player of the Year, then yes Lakers have a chance. I don’t think they will win it. Because last year in the post-season, he was playing like the Defensive Player of the Year guy and Jokic was giving him that work. So even he shows up and plays like the defensive player of the year, Jokic is still going to give him that work. Rudy Gobert is going to get that work. Jaren Jackson Jr. is going to get that work.”
He further added that even if he was to win the award, it does not guarantee a championship for the Lakers. This is because the same situation was applicable in the previous season when the Lakers got swept by the Denver Nuggets.
Jefferson went on to compare the situation to former DPOY winner Gary Payton. Despite his defensive abilities, Michael Jordan proved to be too much for the player.
With the NBA’s new eligibility criteria, Davis is going to find it even more challenging to win the award. According to the new rules, a player needs to play at least 65 of the 82 games to be considered for any of the regular season awards.
The 2020 NBA champion has played a maximum of 56 games in the last three seasons. He has been constantly battling with injuries and will need to work on his fitness in the upcoming season.
Davis has big expectations for the upcoming season
Anthony Davis seems rejuvenated and ready for the upcoming season after losing in the Western Conference Finals of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. The player has high hopes for the Los Angeles team. He also has set some personal goals for himself. In the pre-season press conference, Davis said he aims to play all 82 games this season.
Four-time NBA Champion LeBron James is also hyped for his teammate and has handed the keys of the franchise to him. In the pre-season press conference, LeBron said Anthony Davis is the face of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He compared the player to all the greats wearing purple and gold colors.
The Lakers have considerably improved their roster this off-season. With the late surge after the trade deadline, the team has grown in confidence and believes they have what it takes to win the NBA Championship.
However, with the West stacked, Anthony Davis will have to be more than a DPOY. He will have to play at an MVP level to propel the Lakers to a good playoff contention space.
