Kristaps Porzingis says Anthony Davis will be in MVP conversation this season

Dec 5, 2022 - 9:45 PM

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Anthony Davis’ recent performances are in rarified air. Anytime a player is mentioned in the same breath as Shaq during any stretch of games, it puts them in a certain context when it comes to on-court dominance.

But it’s a valid comparison considering what AD did over his last two outings. After putting up a 40-point game in the franchise’s biggest win in multiple seasons in Milwaukee, Davis had one of the best games of his Lakers career and possibly his NBA career as a whole by pouring in 55 points against Washington.

It was a display so impressive that even AD’s opponents marveled at it. Following the game, Kristaps Porzingis spoke to the media and heaped plenty of praise on AD.

“I think right now, the stretch that he’s having, he’s playing at an MVP level right now and I think, sooner or later, he’ll be in the conversation. It’s most important for him to stay healthy, stay working on his body and it’s good to see him, after having some injuries and some things, good to see him bounce back and be playing at this level right now.”

Porzingis got an up-close-and-personal look at AD’s dominance. According to NBA’s matchup data, Porzingis was far and away the most common defender of Davis and did little to stop him — with AD going 9-13 from the field against him and scoring 20 points.

That being said, no one was really stopping AD on Sunday. He never missed more than two shots against anyone else against the Wizards and scored at least five points against seven defenders, Porzingis included. In short, he was unstoppable.

If AD is regularly defended by Porzingis, he very easily would become an MVP contender. As it stands, though, the Lakers probably don’t have enough wins to truly vault AD into the MVP conversation. Now, the team’s recent surge and a looming trade or two give plenty of reason for optimism for the future because right now, the only thing separating AD and being at the top of the MVP race is wins from the Lakers.

But when it comes to on-court performance, no one is playing better right now in the league than AD.

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