Anthony Davis selected to 2019-20 NBA All-Defensive First Team

Anthony Davis
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 07: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the first half of a game against the New York Knicks at Staples Center on January 07, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the best defensive teams in the NBA all season, posting a 105.5 Defensive Rating that was the third-best in the league. The team’s relentless length and size made them that way, led by Anthony Davis who has developed into one of the top defensive talents in the NBA. He continues to get recognized for that talent, being voted to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the 2019-20 season.

The honor is the fourth time that Anthony Davis has been selected to an NBA All-Defensive Team, but it is only the second time that he has been selected to the first-team. This adds to Davis’ already storied career (which will hopefully include his first championship later). He’s a 7x All-Star, a 3x All-NBA, as well as a 3x blocks leader. This year he was third in the league with 2.4 blocks per game, and 15th in the league with 1.5 steals per game. He, unfortunately, was the runner-up in Defensive Player of the Year voting losing to Giannis Antetokounmpo. The NBA First Team All-Defense is rounded out with Giannis, Rudy Gobert, Marcus Smart, and Ben Simmons. Davis is the first Laker to be selected to either the first or second team since Kobe Bryant in the 2010-11 season (first team).

Anthony Davis has turned into one of the more switchable bigs in the league, if not the best one. His ability to stay with the defender all the way until the last moment just to swat the ball away is nothing but amazing. Davis, along with Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee, give the Lakers’ guards such freedom to be aggressive out on the perimeter. If the guard accidentally lets their man go by, Davis and the other bigs can easily help bail them out if need be.

The Lakers will continue to need Davis’ defense in their series against the Houston Rockets, where they will look to take a 2-1 series lead tonight in Game 3.

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