Getty Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis.
Based on how the NBA season has gone so far, many would believe that Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the two best big men in the NBA. However, that’s not a universal belief. Troy Daniels spent the majority of the season with the Los Angeles Lakers before getting let go and signing with the Denver Nuggets. He now plays with Nikola Jokic, who’s also considered one of the best big men in the NBA.
Many would probably say that Davis and Antetokounmpo are the top-two and Jokic is the third best, but not Daniels. He asserted that his teammate is the best of the bunch.
“Best big in the league man,” Daniels said of Jokic on Thursday. “I mean, who wouldn’t want to play with the best? If you don’t want to play the best then you don’t belong here. He’s the best big in the league. He’s very talented, can pass the ball which I love as a shooter. He’s going to command a lot of double teams which will open up a lot of things for me, and you know, I just gotta make shots.”
That’s an interesting quote from Daniels because it wasn’t long ago he was playing with Davis. He played 41 games for the Lakers and has only played one with the Nuggets. How emphatically he says Jokic is the “best in the league,” could be looked at as shade towards his former teammate. That said, it could just be him trying to hype up his new team. If the Lakers match up with the Nuggets in the playoffs, we’ll probably get a clear answer on who’s better.
Bleacher Report Also Thinks Jokic Is Better
For a while, it’s been assumed that Davis is possibly the best big man in the NBA. However, it appears some are starting to jump on the Jokic bandwagon. In Bleacher Report’s ranking of the top-100 current NBA players, Davis is ranked as the league’s eighth-best player while Jokic is the sixth. Here’s what they had to say about Davis:
The knock against Davis, of course, is that the Lakers are minus-0.9 points per 100 possessions when he is on the floor without LeBron. And the defense is dreadful for those possessions.
That may be a bit nitpicky, though, as his time in New Orleans probably taught us he’s not the kind of player who can singlehandedly carry a team to above-average play.
Instead, he may be the absolute best No. 2 (he still trails LeBron in usage) in the NBA.
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Davis Has Better Stats
Davis’ production when LeBron James isn’t on the court is concerning but that doesn’t mean he’s not elite. He’s putting up way more points per game than Jokic and is a better defender. The Lakers also have a better record than the Nuggets.
There’s no doubt that Jokic is a special player but it’s really premature to suggest he’s better than Davis. The Lakers’ big man is better than Jokic in almost every major statistical category outside of assist over their careers.
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