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Over the last decade or so, Anthony Davis has been one of the best big men in the NBA. Whether he’s playing power forward or center, he has been a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor, and he owns career averages of 24 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots a game.
He was rewarded for his productivity by being voted onto the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, which features what voters considered to be the top 75 players in league history.
But Dwight Howard didn’t make the team, and some feel he should’ve been voted in instead of Davis.
Former coach and current TNT commentator Stan Van Gundy called it “absolutely ridiculous” that, in effect, the voters decided Davis already had a better career than Howard (h/t The Cold Wire).
“You cannot make a case that Anthony Davis had a better career than Dwight Howard, that’s absolutely ridiculous.”
– Stan Van Gundy on Anthony Davis making the NBA’s 75th anniversary team
(Via Sports Illustrated) pic.twitter.com/flzLomekx8
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 20, 2023
Although Davis is closely behind, Howard was the superior rebounder and defender. The Atlanta native led the league in rebounding five times and in blocked shots twice, and he was named the Defensive Player of the Year three seasons in a row.
The thinking seems to be that Davis has been a far better offensive player than Howard. Howard never averaged 23 points a game for a full season, while Davis has eclipsed that mark eight times in 11 seasons.
Van Gundy coached Howard for five years when both were with the Orlando Magic. Howard, of course, was later teammates with Davis twice — once during the 2019-20 campaign and again two years later.