Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis likely tops the list of best defensive players in NBA history to never win Defensive Player of the Year. Well over a decade into his NBA journey, that opportunity may have passed AD by, but that’s no slight on Davis’ defensive dominance in 2025; he can still disrupt the flow of games with his defensive effort, from rim protection to full-on deterrence around the paint. In other words… it’s not worth entering when Davis is scouring near the paint. He turns the space near the rim into a black hole.

Suddenly a member of the Dallas Mavericks, Davis is set to lead a group with pretty high defensive upside – if the Mavs injury luck ever stops haunting them. Davis’ health has been his biggest pitfall throughout his career, which makes sense, as being a high-volume two-way center will take a toll on a body.

It’s weird to call Anthony Davis an underdog in 2025, but it sure feels that way right now. Everyone in the NBA seems to be rooting for AD to remind everyone who he is – to us, that’s still an elite two-way monster.