Lakers' Anthony Davis Being Heavily Disrespected in Latest NBA MVP Ranking

Where Davis lands in recent MVP rankings.

Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis has dropped from No. 1 to No. 5 in Shaun Powell of NBA.com's latest "MVP Ladder." In the first issue of Powell's rankings, Davis came in as the early favorite to win the NBA MVP following a tremendous start to the season. To begin the year, Davis scored 30 or more points in each of the Lakers' first three games, all wins.

Davis was named the Western Conference Player of the Week after the first week of the season, as new Lakers head coach JJ Redick centered the offense around the 31-year-old superstar.

By no means did Davis's play experience a significant drop to move him down to No. 5 just after ranking No. 1, but Davis did endure a couple of minor injuries that slowed his production. Davis missed the Lakers' road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies because of an ankle injury and exited the Lakers' win over the Toronto Raptors early because of an eye injury.

When Davis did return for the Lakers' home win over the Grizzlies, he shot a season-low 37.5 percent from the field and scored 21 points.

Despite missing time, Davis is toward the top of many NBA statistics. He is averaging 31.1 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. He ranks second in the league in scoring, eighth in rebounds per game, and top-20 in shooting percentage.

Currently, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (No. 1) — last year's MVP — Boston Celtics power forward Jayson Tatum (No. 2), Phoenix Suns power forward Kevin Durant (No. 3), and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 4) rank ahead of Davis.

Davis, who has yet to win an NBA MVP award over his career, has a strong chance at rising up the MVP rankings in the next edition. Hours after the rankings were posted, Davis scored a season-high 40 points with 12 rebounds and two assists in the Lakers win over the San Antonio Spurs, their first game of the 2024 NBA Cup.

If Davis adds a couple more high-scoring games over the next week, it would be more surprising if he didn't shoot back up the rankings.

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