JJ Redick reveals Anthony Davis' reaction to leaving LA Lakers star off his All-Defense voting ballot
JJ Redick shared Anthony Davis' reaction to learning his new coach did not have him in his 2023-24 NBA All-Defensive ballot. Redick said in July that he had not voted for Davis, who still made the All-Defensive First Team.
During an appearance on "The Lowe Post" podcast with ESPN's Zach Lowe, Redick was asked about AD's reaction to his ballot snub. The new Lakers coach revealed that the one-time champ didn't have a clue he was omitted from his ballot.
"Yeah, he had no idea what I was talking about. He's like, 'I didn't' even know that.' ... Spent some time with him, went to a lovely dinner in Santa Monica a few weeks back. We're going to empower him as much as he wants to be empowered. If he wants to be First Team All-NBA and wants to be in the MVP conversation all year long, we're going to empower him to do that," Redick said. [58:48 onwards]
JJ Redick explained on SiriusXM NBA Radio back in July why he didn't put Anthony Davis on his ballot. Redick still called Davis one of the best individual defenders in the league, but he didn't affect the LA Lakers' overall defense.
"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. ... You certainly have to factor in the stats, the advanced stats and of course the team performance on defense. In both years, I weighed heavily on how the team performed defensively," Redick said.
Anthony Davis finished the season averaging 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.3 blocks per game. Davis also played 76 games last season, which was his career-high and the first time he played in 70 or more games since the 2017-18 NBA season.
Anthony Davis still made the All-Defensive First Team in 2023-24 NBA season
Despite being snubbed by his future head coach, Anthony Davis garnered enough votes to get into the All-Defensive First Team. It was Davis' third First Team honors and fifth overall, including two All-Defensive Second Team selections.
The 31-year-old big man remained one of the best individual defenders in the league, being able to guard every position. He's also a great help defender due to his length and wingspan. His only problem is strength when going up against players such as Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid.
Davis is still in his prime and has shown that he could stay healthy for the majority of the season. With LeBron James turning 40 in December, it might be time for Redick to turn AD unleashed and finally hand the Lakers' reins to him.