Anthony Davis' Case to be the Best Player in the NBA

Today I'm continuing my new series in which I'll be analyzing the top players in the NBA to determine who is actually the best player in the league. In my last article, I broke down Damian Lillard's profile, so I'm moving on to Anthony Davis today.

Using my philosophy, which I outlined in my Damian Lillard piece (check that out here), I'm going to analyze Davis' analytical profile to see whether or not he is worthy of being in the "best player in the league" conversation.

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Anthony Davis' Profile

Here is Davis' entire profile, including basic information about him, stats from the 2020-2021 season, and stats from the last three regular seasons and playoffs, along with my breakdown of the numbers I'll be presenting.

Basic Information

Age: 28

Height: 6'10

Weight: 254 lbs.

Wingspan: 7'6

Position: Power Forward

Team: Los Angeles Lakers

2020-2021 Stats

Here is Anthony Davis' analytical profile from the 2020-2021 season with percentile rankings for each metric. Below the graphs, you can find his stats for this past season. My statistical database includes 522 players who all played at least 250 minutes this season, to be transparent.

Here is a graph including metrics that attempt to measure specific skills using box score data included in the graph above.

Regular Season Per 100 Possessions Stats:

Points: 32.9

Rebounds: 12

Assists: 4.6

Steals: 1.9

Blocks: 2.5

2P%: 53.6% (21.5 2PA)

3P%: 26% (4.2 3PA)

FT%: 73.8% (9 FTA)

TS%: 55.6%

Regular Season Impact Metrics:

OBPM: 2.9

DBPM: 1.6

BPM: 4.5 (12th)

Back Picks BPM: 2.9

RPM: 1.85 (18th)

RAPTOR: 4.1 (16th)

LEBRON: 3.51 (14th)

CraftedPM: 3.83 (13th)

Playoff Per 100 Possessions Stats

Points: 30.9

Rebounds: 11.7

Assists: 4.6

Steals: 1.1

Blocks: 2.8

2P%: 45.1% (18.1 2PA)

3P%: 18.2% (3.9 3PA)

FT%: 83.3% (14.9 FTA)

TS%: 54.1%

Playoff Impact Metrics

OBPM: 3.2

DBPM: 2.8

BPM: 6

Back Picks BPM: 2.4

(Some metrics not included due to the lack of measurements)

Multi-Year Regular Season and Playoff Performance

Here are Anthony Davis' stats and impact metrics from the last three regular seasons and playoffs.

2019-2021 Regular Season Per 100 Possessions Stats

Points: 35.5

Rebounds: 14.1

Assists: 4.9

Steals: 2.1

Blocks: 3.1

2P%: 54.4% (13.7 2PA)

3P%: 31.5% (4.3 3PA)

FT%: 80.7% (10.8 FTA)

TS%: 59.3%

2019-2021 Regular Season Impact Metrics

OBPM: 5.5

DBPM: 2.2

BPM: 7.7

LEBRON: 4.72

(Some metrics not included due to the lack of multi-year measurements)

2018-2021 Playoff Per 100 Possessions Stats

Points: 36.1

Rebounds: 13.7

Assists: 3.9

Steals: 1.8

Blocks: 2.3

2P%: 57.3% (20.4 2PA)

3P%: 33.3% (3.6 3PA)

FT%: 83.2% (10.9 FTA)

TS%: 62.6%

2018-2021 Playoff Impact Metrics

OBPM: 5.3

DBPM: 2

BPM: 7.3

LEBRON: 6.45

(Some metrics not included due to the lack of multi-year measurements)

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Analytical Breakdown

Now that we're done with the numbers portion of this piece, I will give my thoughts on Anthony Davis' game based on my philosophy which I discussed at the beginning of the Damian Lillard piece.

Anthony Davis is an incredible player who dominates the game on both offense and defense. He's an amazing defender whose size and mobility allow him to be effective as both an interior and perimeter defender. His defense is so good that he is consistently one of the best defenders in the league.

Over the last three seasons, he has a D-LEBRON of 3.01, which ranks ninth among players who have played at least 5,500 minutes. According to LEBRON, he is near Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert, and Draymond Green in terms of defensive impact.

He's a very productive defender as well, ranking in the 94th percentile in stock rate this season. Although defensive production doesn't equate to good defense, the fact that Davis is productive and impactful as a defender is extremely impressive.

Davis isn't as polished offensively, but he is still outstanding on that end. Over the last three seasons, he averaged 35.5 points and 4.9 assists per 100 possessions with a true shooting percentage of 59.3%. He also had an assist rate of 16.8%, which is really good for a big man.

Here's why I don't think Anthony Davis is an elite offensive player despite his impressive production: He isn't an ultra-efficient scorer. It's very well known that he refuses to play center, and he likes to play outside of the paint, but this has negatively impacted his scoring efficiency.

This season, Davis ranked in the 47th percentile in scoring efficiency. That's pretty odd for someone who is 6'10, has a 7'6 wingspan, and shoots 78.5% around the rim. His efficiency is below average because he likes to take a lot of mid-range shots and isn't a good three-point shooter.

It isn't bad that he wants to be a versatile offensive player, but the fact that it's negatively affecting his efficiency is. If he could improve his three-point shooting, that would go a long way in improving his offensive skill set.

Another issue with Anthony Davis that might cause other people to think less of him is how he played this season. This year, he played just 36 games due to injury, and his production slipped as a result.

In 2020, he had a BPM of 8, but this year, he had a BPM of 4.5. This means he went from an MVP candidate to just an all-star caliber player. That's a pretty big drop-off.

Nevertheless, his play over the last three seasons more than makes up for it, in my opinion. From 2019-2021, he had a BPM of 7.7, which means he played like a borderline MVP candidate.

The biggest reason I'm really high on Anthony Davis is how well he plays in the postseason. From 2018-2021, his production improved in the playoffs, as well as his impact metrics.

Davis ' was more efficient during his last three playoff runs than he was in the regular season, and his LEBRON increased from 4.72 to 6.45. This pattern of improvement from the regular season to the playoffs is great to see.

Since Anthony Davis isn't an elite offensive player, I'm unsure that he could be the best player on a championship-winning team. However, we know that he can be an elite second option for a title winner, which he was for the Lakers last season.

It is undeniable that he struggled this season, and that will hurt him a little bit in my final rankings, but his previous two years of data and the fact that he was injured make me comfortable betting on him moving forward.

Anthony Davis is a special player whose two-way dominance makes him a prime candidate for any team looking for a star-level second option. His underwhelming efficiency as a scorer will keep him from ever being the best player on a championship-winning team, in my opinion. Still, his defensive versatility, above-average passing for a big man, and improved performance in the playoffs make him a top ten player in the NBA.