Deandre Ayton's Lakers Message Causes Stir Involving Anthony Davis

Ahead of his awaited return to action against the Dallas Mavericks this Friday after missing two games because of a knee issue, Ayton spoke about the qualities he's been providing the Lakers. However, he may have unintentionally taken a subtle jab at Davis, who is also suiting up this Friday following a long absence due to a calf injury.

“Me, I’m here to give the Lakers what they’ve been missing for a long time: a big that can put up numbers, anchor a defense and be a presence on both ends of the floor. … Putting up numbers, that’s easy. … Luka and Bron already did their job, now it’s time for me to eat,” Ayton said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Fans were quick to pick up on Ayton's take, easily connecting it to Davis, who played for parts of six seasons with the Lakers and helped the franchise win an NBA championship in 2020.

"I’ll give him a pass, must’ve blanked on AD ," said a fan on X.

Another one said: "if AD healthy and he hears this he might give ayton 30 & 20 .”

From a different fan: "Anthony Davis would like to have a word.”

Meanwhile, some fans resorted to technicalities to defend Ayton’s point.

From a commenter: “He’s NOT taking a shot at AD. AD is a PF playing center. Ayton is a center. That’s it that’s all.”

“For everyone crying about AD, the dude has said multiple times he’s not a Center so,” one shared.

“Maybe he’s thinking a willing big. AD still played more like a PF. A reluctant 5 who loved the outside jumper. Yeeeah, that’s what it is,” echoed another social media user.

For what it’s worth, Davis played an estimated 95 percent of his time on the court as a center in his final season with the Lakers, per Basketball-Reference.

Ayton has a chance to further prove his point against none other than Davis and the Mavs at Crypto.com Arena.

In 15 games played so far with the Lakers, Ayton has averaged 15.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks, while shooting 69.6 percent from the field.