Anthony Davis has reclaimed the title of best defensive player in the NBA after dominating Jaren Jackson Jr.

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Anthony Davis is so good at playing defense that, on Friday, he decided that the process of blocking shots was just a bit too slow for him. See, when you block a shot, you have to actually wait for the shooter to release the ball. You have to time your jump and your swat. You might hit the ball out of bounds and give your opponent the ball back, and even if you manage to direct it to a teammate you might not get the ball back on that possession.

So Davis decided to streamline the process a bit on one first quarter possession. Rather than simply blocking Ja Morant, he managed to grab the ball out of Morant’s hands before he even released it. He did this with a single hand and he barely left the ground. Once he controlled it, he led the break himself and ultimately helped the Lakers score two easy points in transition.

It was the sort of “wait, how did he do that?” play that Davis has made routine throughout his career. When Davis is at his best, he does things defensively that don’t even feel possible. It’s just been a while since he’s gotten there consistently. Disregarding the 68 games he missed over the two previous seasons, he even paced himself quite a bit this season, when he was the healthiest he’s been since 2020. That’s part of what prevented him from earning a single Defensive Player of the Year vote this season.

Jaren Jackson Jr. won the award, and the two were fittingly able to face off in the first round of the postseason. Davis destroyed him. Counting stats tells only part of the tale, but Davis beat Jackson in just about every category.

Anthony Davis

Jaren Jackson Jr.

Blocks

26

13

Steals

8

6

Deflections

16

13

Contested Shots

100

90

Defensive Rebounds

64

27

Davis leads the postseason overall in blocks, defensive rebounds and contested shots. He leads all big men in deflections and trails only Draymond Green and Domantas Sabonis among big men in steals. Unsurprisingly, the Lakers posted a stellar 100.4 defensive rating with Davis on the court during the series. Only one regular season defense, the No. 1 ranked Cleveland Cavaliers,…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/anthony-davis-has-reclaimed-the-title-of-best-defensive-player-in-the-nba-after-dominating-jaren-jackson-jr/

Author : Sam Quinn

Publish date : 2023-04-29 17:28:38

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