Before JJ Redick was hired as the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach and while everyone was anticipating he would end up getting the job, there was a minor controversy involving him and one of the Lakers’ superstars.
While Anthony Davis was voted onto the All-Defensive First Team for this past season, Redick didn’t vote for him. Redick had an official ballot at the time as a member of ESPN’s NBA broadcast crew.
Some Lakers fans wondered if perhaps there would be some friction between the head coach and the standout big man. But Redick said that the Lakers’ team defense was a factor in him not voting for Davis while making it clear Davis is an elite defender (h/t Lakers Daily).
“Anthony Davis is one of the two or three best defensive players in the NBA”
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
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 13, 2024
“Well, there’s a big difference in being a top 10 defender and making an All-Defense team,” Redick said. “There’s a distinction between the two. Anthony Davis is one of the two or three best defensive players in the NBA.
“… I did this the last two years where I explained all of my votes. And you certainly have to factor in the stats, the advanced stats and then, of course, the team performance on defense. And in both years, I weighed heavily on how the team performed defensively.”
The Lakers ranked just 17th in defensive rating this past season even though Davis was usually a beast defensively and on the boards.
He finished the 2023-24 regular season averaging 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 blocked shots and 1.2 steals per game. He also shot above 80% from the free throw line for the first time in four seasons, and he was named to the All-NBA Second Team.
Defense is perhaps where L.A. needs the most improvement this coming season. While Davis is an incredible defender and overall player, the team greatly lacked defensive pressure on the perimeter. Redick alluded to that deficiency when he said that he wants second-round draft pick Bronny James to play some consistent ball-hawking defense.