
<p>Players in the NBA tend to take great satisfaction in their scoring abilities because of the league’s emphasis on offense. It’s the same handful of names every year who dominate the <strong><a href="https://news.thesportsdrop.com/nba/top-3-contenders-for-2022-23-nba-coach-of-the-year-20230409-SPD-3565.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Defensive Player of the Year</a></strong> voting, suggesting that defense is a dead art.</p>



<p>Star player Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies joined the ranks of those players lately. After Marcus Smart won the award in 2021–22, he was the only player to win the award more than once.</p>



<p>However, there are still a few defensive superstars that aren’t given the recognition they deserve. This article will discuss the top three current defensive players that have yet to win Defensive Player of the Year.</p>



<h2>3. Anthony Davis</h2>



<p>In terms of protecting the basket, <strong><a href="https://news.thesportsdrop.com/nba/no-kobe-bryant-bill-russell-shaquille-oneal-wilt-chamberlain-chatgpt-picks-nbas-all-time-best-starting-five-20230402-SPD-3549.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Anthony Davis</a></strong> is perhaps the finest in the NBA. He has the ability to block shots and completely disrupt the other team’s offensive rhythm whenever he is in the paint.</p>



<p>It’s possible that the Los Angeles Lakers all-star’s inability to win Defensive Player of the Year is due to the fact that he seldom plays a complete season due to injury.</p>



<h2>2.&nbsp;Bam Adebayo</h2>



<p>Bam Adebayo has been a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year far too often. He often comes in second or third, much as Joel Embiid does in MVP voting.</p>



<p>Adebayo’s defensive influence cannot be overstated, as shown by the fact that he has finished on the podium more frequently than not during his career. He is one of the few big men that can compete well on the perimeter.</p>



<h2>1. Jrue Holiday</h2>



<p>It is incomprehensible and puzzling to the vast majority of NBA players that Jrue Holiday has never even been a contender for Defensive Player of the Year.</p>



<p>When it comes to the perimeter, Holiday is a major nuisance. He can run over screens and defend positions 1-5 with ease, and his fast hands allow him to steal the ball from any player.</p>


NBA: Top 3 finest current players who have never won Defensive Player of the Year

NBA: Top 3 finest current players who have never won Defensive Player of the Year - thesportsdrops NEWS

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<p>After the <strong><a href="https://news.thesportsdrop.com/nba/three-nba-teams-with-the-most-potential-for-february-sales-20230121-SPD-3338.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NBA’s 2023 All-Star</a></strong> starters were named on Thursday, a few reserves with justifiable complaints were expected. The starting have been announced, with the fan vote accounting for 50%, the media vote for 25%, and the player vote for the remaining 5%. It was revealed that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been named an NBA All-Star for the 19th time, matching Abdul-Jabbar for the most All-Star appearances in NBA history. </p>



<p>James, who received the most votes in the league as a whole, will lead one team in the next All-Star Game on February 19 in Salt Lake City. The other team’s captain will be Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, who received the most votes in the Eastern Conference. The NBA has employed a captain system for the All-Star Game for the last six years, and James has participated in every one of them. </p>



<p>In addition to 2019 and 2020, Antetokounmpo now has the honor of serving as captain for a third time. Unlike previous years, when captains choose a week or two in advance of All-Star weekend, this year’s game will include an unannounced twist: the two players will choose their teams in the days leading up to the game. These are the three biggest 2023 NBA All-Star starter snubs, as per&nbsp;<em>CBS Sports.</em></p>



<h2>3. Domantas Sabonis</h2>



<p>Sabonis’s performance with the Kings has been outstanding. His absence results in a ten-point drop in scoring for every hundred possessions for the second-ranked Kings offense, according to CTG.</p>



<p>To add insult to injury, Sabonis has played 45 games to Zion’s 33 and Williamson is expected to miss at least two more weeks. When comparing their loss totals, the Kings are now three games ahead of the Pels.</p>



<h2>2. Anthony Davis</h2>



<p><strong><a href="https://news.thesportsdrop.com/nba/top-3-worst-performing-nba-teams-in-2022-23-20230122-SPD-3342.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Davis</a></strong> has a true shooting percentage of 65.9 and is averaging 27.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. The first three statistics are much superior than Zion Williamson’s bests, especially in terms of rebounds and blocks. In terms of TS, the numbers are quite similar.</p>



<p>Even without any other excellent defenders, the Lakers’ defensive rating would be the best in the NBA if Davis were playing. He is the Lakers’ defense, while Zion has improved defensively, but he is more of a byproduct of a successful New Orleans defense than a star in his own right. Davis was, for a while this season, the league’s top performer.</p>



<h2>1. Joel Embiid</h2>



<p>In this situation, Embiid was more deserving of a starting spot than Anteokounmpo was, therefore his exclusion was unjust. Embiid was voted third among frontcourt players by the media and players, behind Tatum and Durant, but he came in at a fourth place in the fan poll, which was won by Giannis. The key distinction lay there.</p>



<p>The notion that the fans are the game’s lifeblood and should have a say in the All-Star Game selection process has some merit, but in this case, the league made a mistake. Embiid outscores Antetokounmpo despite shooting at a far lower percentage from the field.</p>


Joel Embiid and two other biggest 2023 NBA All-Star starter snubs

Joel Embiid and two other biggest 2023 NBA All-Star starter snubs - thesportsdrops NEWS


<p>Almost everyone, including the NBA star himself, considers<strong> <a href="https://news.thesportsdrop.com/nba/nba-rumors-the-russell-westbrook-trade-the-lakers-have-seriously-considered-20221004-SPD-2889.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Anthony Davis</a></strong> a center. From the moment he came to Los Angeles, he made it clear that power forward was where he wanted to play. The <strong><a href="https://news.thesportsdrop.com/nba/no-relationship-between-lebron-james-and-kareem-abdul-jabbar-20221005-SPD-2922.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lakers</a></strong> have sometimes played him at center in high-pressure circumstances, but they’ve often chosen to pair him with a more conventional center. </p>



<p>Though he and his club have discussed making a permanent transition in positions almost every summer, nothing has come of it. After Russell Westbrook’s injury last summer, many people speculated that he might go to the center. On the season’s first game night, DeAndre Jordan started in the middle. </p>



<p>Thomas Bryant and Damian Jones, two free agents the Lakers acquired this summer, were presumably brought in so that Davis wouldn’t have to play center. Still, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has been cautiously testing the waters of having the 29-year-old in the center lineup this week.</p>



<h2>What Darvin Ham said of Anthony Davis</h2>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>“Absolutely. I mean, it’s not a knockdown, drag-out, bruiser body type game anymore, you know, the game we play at this level. So AD starting at the five is definitely on the table. That’s something that’s under heavy, heavy consideration. </p><p>“Here, we want to put our best five out there to start the game and be able to have a really solid rotation. Once we get to the end of the game, should that game be close, you know, we can have a variety of things in our back pocket and throw at the opposing team, but AD starting at the five. I think that’s, that’s definitely plausible.”</p></blockquote>



<p>After the game, Davis said that he is open to playing whatever position coach Ham sees fit, albeit power forward is still his first choice. Davis added, <em>“I trust Coach’s decision,” Davis said. “I mean, I’m pretty sure he heard A.D. wants to play the 4, so he knows where I stand, but at the end of the day, I want to win, so if that’s me playing the 5, that’s what it’s got to be.”</em></p>


Anthony Davis

NBA: Top 3 finest current players who have never won Defensive Player of the Year

Joel Embiid and two other biggest 2023 NBA All-Star starter snubs

Anthony Davis has preference for different position at Lakers despite showing willingness to play center

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