Anthony Davis vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo Full Comparison 2023-24

• Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo have combined to make 15 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams and 9 All-Defensive Teams

• Davis won the 2020 title, while Antetokounmpo won the 2021 championship 

• Both players will make the Hall of Fame one day

Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo are two of the greatest players in NBA history, which is why they made the 75th Anniversary team. Davis and Antetokounmpo have combined to make 15 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams, and nine All-Defensive teams. Both stars have won a championship as well. 

Davis, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft, has played for the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers. He has career averages of 24.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.3 blocks. 

Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo was the 15th overall pick in the 2013 draft. He has spent his entire career with the Milwaukee Bucks thus far. The Greek Freak has career averages of 22.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks.  

With the 2023-24 season in full swing now, we decided to take a look at who is the better player right now between Davis and Antetokounmpo. Let’s dive in. 

Scoring – Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged a career-high 31.1 points for the Milwaukee Bucks last season in 63 games. He scored at least 30 points 39 times, 40 points 12 times, and 50 points three times. 

Thus far this season (four games), Antetokounmpo is averaging 24.5 points. His scoring average will likely increase as the season goes along once he gets comfortable playing alongside Damian Lillard. 

For the Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony Davis averaged 25.9 points last season. He scored at least 30 points 20 times, 40 points three times, and 50 points once. 

Davis is averaging 26.0 points through five games this season. He’s a talented scorer, but he’s not a better scorer than Antetokounmpo. The numbers from last season prove that Antetokounmpo is a more consistent scorer than Davis and Antetokounmpo will likely finish this season with more total points and a higher points per game average than Davis. 

Shooting – Anthony Davis

Both Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled with their outside shot last season. Davis shot 25.7% from beyond the arc, while Antetokounmpo shot 27.5% from 3. 

However, Davis is widely regarded as a better shooter than Antetokounmpo since he can shoot mid-range jumpers and long 2-pointers more consistently than Antetokounmpo. Davis is also a more reliable shooter from the free-throw line. AD is a career 79.3% shooter from the foul line, while Antetokounmpo is a career 70.7% shooter from the charity stripe. 

Thus far this season, Davis is shooting an impressive 85.3% from the free-throw line for the Los Angeles Lakers. Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo is shooting 64.1%. 

Defenders can’t leave Davis open outside of the paint since he’s a proven jump shooter. As for Antetokounmpo, sometimes defenses can get away with packing the paint against him by sagging off him since he’s not a consistent jump shooter. 

Athleticism – Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most athletic players in NBA history. He can go coast to coast in three dribbles sometimes and he’s one of the most terrifying one-man fastbreaks the game has ever seen. 

Antetokounmpo can jump out of the gym and dunk on every big man in the league. His long arms and giant steps make him impossible to guard in transition. He is undoubtedly a more athletic player than Anthony Davis, who is not as quick as Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo is one of the best slashers in the NBA. He can get to the rim at will and finish in heavy traffic. Davis likes to operate in the post and shoot over-the-shoulder shots and jumpers. 

Antetokounmpo can run and jump at an elite level. If he’s coming at you full speed, you have lost the battle.  

Defense – Anthony Davis

This is a tough one. Both Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo are superb defenders. We’re giving the edge to Davis simply because he’s proven to be a better shot blocker than Antetokounmpo.

Davis has led the NBA in blocks per game three times. He currently leads the league this season in blocks per game (3.0). Davis has career averages of 2.3 blocks with the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers. He always makes it difficult for players to score in the paint because he’s always roaming around the basket and contesting shots. 

Antetokounmpo won the 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year Award. Surprisingly, Davis has never won that award. Numbers don’t lie, though. Davis averaged more steals per game and blocks per game than Antetokounmpo last season. The same goes for this season and their careers for that matter. 

Handles – Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis has better handles than Giannis Antetokounmpo since he used to be a point guard when he was a kid growing up in Chicago. Antetokounmpo doesn’t need to use crossovers to score. He just puts his head down and drives to the rim since no one can stop him from getting to the basket. 

Davis isn’t as explosive as Antetokounmpo. He has to use dribbling skills to create separation to get off his shot and score in the half-court. 

Antetokounmpo usually just uses his speed and power to get past defenders, which works for him. Davis has a more expansive dribbling package he uses it to put his defenders in problematic situations. 

Clutch – Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo was second in the NBA last season in fourth-quarter points per game. He averaged 8.6 points for the Milwaukee Bucks. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis averaged 6.2 points in the fourth quarter for the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron James takes the clutch shots for the Lakers, not Davis. Even though the Bucks have Damian Lillard now, the ball will most likely continue to be in Antetokounmpo’s hands in clutch situations. 

Availability has always been an issue with Davis. He gets hurt a lot. Antetokounmpo is a more durable player than Davis. Giannis plays more minutes and games, which gives him more chances to be clutch for his team. 

Davis has certainly hit his fair share of clutch shots with the New Orleans Pelicans and Lakers. However, Antetokounmpo is a more proven closer since he’s more dominant in the fourth quarter. 

Leadership – Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a way better leader than Anthony Davis. LeBron James is the leader of the Los Angeles Lakers. Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo is the one who leads the Milwaukee Bucks on the court, in practices, and huddles. 

It was Antetokounmpo’s will to win and leadership that helped the Bucks erase a 2-0 series deficit against the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 Finals. Milwaukee won that series in six games, with Antetokounmpo winning Finals MVP. 

Davis couldn’t lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a title, so he requested a trade and landed with the Lakers to play with LeBron. Los Angeles won the 2020 championship over the Miami Heat in the Walt Disney World bubble, but it was LeBron who was the emotional and basketball leader. He won his fourth Finals MVP and motivated his teammates with wisdom from his previous Finals trips. 

Antetokounmpo is always talking to his teammates and he never throws anyone under the bus. He is one of the best leaders in the NBA due to his passion and humble beginnings. 

Basketball IQ – Even

Both Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo are smart players. More often than not, AD and Giannis will make the right pass on offense or the correct read on defense. 

There’s no stat to measure basketball IQ. However, it can be generalized. 

Both Davis and Antetokounmpo can adapt to different situations, understand when and where to step up their games, analyze an opposing defense or offense quickly and determine the best course of action, take what the opposition is giving them and turn it into an advantage, and maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses pretty well. 

Antetokounmpo does turn the ball over a lot more than Davis, but that’s only because he has the ball in his hands way more. We’re going to call this one an even score. 

Impact – Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks for the Milwaukee Bucks last season. He recorded 46 double-doubles and six triple-doubles and the Bucks were 47-16 when Antetokounmpo was in the lineup but they lost to the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2023 playoffs because Giannis hurt his back in Game 1 and missed Games 2 and 3. 

Antetokounmpo entered the NBA one year after Davis and he’s still played in more games. The reason we are giving the impact edge to Butler is because of availability and versatility. You can’t impact the game by sitting on the bench and Davis gets hurt too much. 

Antetokounmpo gets more triple-doubles than Davis because he has the ball in his hands more. Therefore, he is impacting the game more. 

Efficiency – Giannis Antetokounmpo

Anthony Davis is fourth in NBA history in player efficiency rating, while Giannis Antetokounmpo is 10th. However, Antetokounmpo had a higher PER last season. 

Antetokounmpo does basically all of his damage at the rim, so he usually shoots better from the field than Davis, who sometimes shoots too many jumpers instead of dominating the paint. 

There are many games where Davis simply doesn’t show up. He’s not as consistent as Antetokounmpo. Since Antetokounmpo has a higher motor than Davis and shoots a better percentage from the field, we are giving the efficiency edge to The Greek Freak. 

1-On-1 Game – Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the most dominant player in the NBA right now. No one can guard him one-on-one. He’s too strong to guard in the post and too fast and long to stop in transition. 

Anthony Davis is a terrific one-on-one player, but if you can be physical with him, you can prevent him from being successful. You can’t be physical with Antetokounmpo. The only way to stop him is to pack the paint and force him to shoot jumpers.

In the half-court, Antetokounmpo needs one step to get to the basket and score. Davis needs more dribbles than that to put the ball in the basket. Antetokounmpo’s downhill attack is impossible to defend. In a one-on-one setting, Antetokounmpo simply has to put his head down and drive to the rim and score or draw a foul. 

Final Result

Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Anthony Davis 7-3

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a better player than Anthony Davis. He’s more consistent and durable and doesn’t lack a motor. There are just too many nights where Davis isn’t a dominant force. 

Take for example the first game of the season for the Los Angeles Lakers. He had zero points in the second half after scoring 17 in the first half versus the Denver Nuggets. That simply can’t happen if you want to be considered a top-five player in the NBA. Davis is talented enough to be a top-five player. He’s just not consistent enough. 

Antetokounmpo always shows up for the Milwaukee Bucks. He scores, passes, rebounds, defends, and leads at the highest level. Antetokounmpo also doesn’t shrink under pressure. Sure, the Bucks lost to the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, but Giannis had 38 points and 20 rebounds in Game 5. Meanwhile, Davis put up 21 points and 14 rebounds in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals versus the Nuggets on 6-of-15 shooting from the field. 

Every general manager in the NBA would pick Antetokounmpo over Davis. This isn’t a hot take whatsoever. Giannis is younger, less injury prone and more driven to be the best. Davis plays with LeBron James, so he is able to take the back seat many times. 

It would be great to see the Lakers and Bucks face in the Finals. Antetokounmpo and Davis would likely guard each other and Davis would certainly hear all the chatter about how Giannis is better than him. Let’s see if we get that matchup this year.