The race up the Kia MVP Ladder has officially begun, and Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis is already asserting himself as an early candidate to rise to the top.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar found himself at the top of the Kia MVP Ladder with Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum in second place, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in third, and guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers rounding out Kia’s very first top five.
What Makes Anthony Davis An MVP Favorite?
Though it would be quite an egregious task to predict the final winner within the first two weeks of the NBA season, Davis’s performances in his first seven games for the Los Angeles Lakers have been nothing short of exemplary.
As of November 8, 2024, the 31-year-old superstar is averaging 32.6 points (57.1% FG, 16.7% 3FG, 78.6% FT), 11.6 rebounds, three assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.7 blocks. Not only is Davis the league’s current leader in average points per game, but he also cracks the top 10 in average rebounds and blocks per game.
The numbers seem to tip in Anthony Davis’s favor, but the praise does not stop there. It seems that fans, teammates, and even head coach JJ Redick have spoken out in testimony over Davis’s blazing start to the NBA season.
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Even Davis himself has explicitly campaigned for proper recognition from the league this season, expressing evident hunger for accolades to not only put on his name but put on his team’s name as well.
Despite being a highly dominant scorer and offensive vessel, Anthony Davis is most widely recognized for his elite defensive abilities. The center has showcased the ability to guard all five positions, attesting to not only his powerful interior defense but also his calculated and strategic defense around the perimeter, yet despite his qualities and multiple appearances in the NBA All-Defensive First Team and Second Team, Anthony Davis has yet to be crowned as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.
When asked by Lakers beat reporter Mike Trudell about Davis’s precision in blocking technique, the 13-year league veteran player attributed his stellar mechanics to none other than:
“The Defensive Player of the Year type stuff.”
Just two weeks later, it has become quite apparent that Anthony Davis will not only be entertaining conversations surrounding Defensive Player of the Year but also surrounding the league’s MVP. However, there is only one thing that stands between him and the coveted award, and that is his health.
Will Physical Health Stunt Anthony Davis’s MVP Campaign?
Davis has already missed one of the Laker’s eight games to start the season after sitting out of the team’s 114-131 loss in Tennessee versus the Memphis Grizzlies.
Despite defying these narratives of fragility last season by appearing in 81 out of 87 possible regular season and postseason games, it appears that injuries may act as at least a minor obstacle in Davis’s campaign for MVP.
According to ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania, the 6’11” center has been and may continue to battle a foot injury that may date back to as far as the end of last season.
“This is a nagging foot injury… heel injury that he’s been dealing with since the end of last season,” Charania states, “There’s nothing structurally wrong there, but [it is] something he is going to have to manage pain tolerance wise.”
The Lakers play their first game at home in Los Angeles, following a five-game road trip, versus the Philadelphia 76ers.
As of this writing, Davis has posted 24 points and 4 rebounds with the 4th quarter still on the horizon.