JJ Redick explains why he left Anthony Davis off his All-Defense teams
JJ Redick tried to justify calling Anthony Davis one of the best defenders but not having him on his All-Defense teams when he was a media member.
The disparity between the media and Lakers fans about Anthony Davis' defensive impact is still massive. Fans believed Davis made a case for Defensive Player of the Year, while the media somehow didn't name him a finalist for the award.
Prior to JJ Redick's acceptance of the Lakers' head coaching position, he was a member of the media and didn't have Davis on the All-Defensive team.
On the Sirius XM NBA Radio show, Redick explained why he left him off his list.
“Anthony Davis is one of the two or three best defensive players in the NBA”
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 13, 2024
JJ Redick responds to @termineradio’s question about his decision to leave the #Lakers star center off his media All-Defensive ballot with @jumpshot8 and Ryan McDonough at #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/finX38WRBm
This statement perplexes me. He's a top defender, but somehow, he's not on any of the All-Defense teams. Was he a casualty of a faux roster construction exercise?
Redick explained that he weighed heavily on team defense, but players like Victor Wembanyama didn't get penalized for team performance, which seems to be a negative for AD.
Maybe fans are suffering from Lakers exceptionalism, or perhaps, when Redick was a media member, he just underrated what Davis brings to a team on the defensive side of the ball.
It's not an uncommon position to be in. Currently, Davis is playing for Team USA and more casual fans who don't watch every Lakers game are seeing just how good he is as a player.
Among the world's best, he stands out, defending on the perimeter and making incredible blocks. However, head coach Steve Kerr is still seemingly slighting him, starting Joel Embiid over AD for now.
Maybe that changes as the stakes get higher for Team USA as they enter the Olympics, but the truth is people are consistently late on Davis' greatness. While Redick can spin it any way he likes, when he thought of the ten best defenders, he left Davis off his list and then supported that action on air.
Now he's on the sidelines and his tune seems different.
He has Davis as a top defender and is looking to use him as a "hub" on offense. There's no mistaking that AD is the best and most important player on the Lakers and a big part of Redick's job will be to ensure that he optimizes him.
Ultimately, execution will matter more than Redick's All-Defense team selections, no matter how wrong they were.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.