“AD might go full demon mode tonight”: Lakers fans rally as Anthony Davis slaps DPOY omission with subtle reminder

Anthony Davis was one of the best defenders in the league this season. He was fourth in the league in blocks with 2.3 bpg. Despite his strong stats, Davis was left out of the three finalists for Defensive Player of the Year. The voters selected Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert and Bam Adebayo.

Davis told ESPN that he felt slighted by the voting. The Lakers star was left confused by the snub.

"I'll never get it," Davis said. "They're not giving it to me. The league doesn't like me. I'm the best defensive player in the league. I can switch 1 through 5. I can guard the pick-and-roll the best in the league, from a big standpoint. I block shots. I rebound. I don't know what else to do. I'm over it. I'm just going to do what I got to do to help the team win and try to play for a championship. Accolades and individual awards, I'm done with those.”

Fans came to support Davis. Many took to social media to rally behind the Lakers center. Some predicted Davis could take out his anger on the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 on Monday.

“AD might go full demon mode tonight,” a fan wrote.

Another fan also agreed with Davis. He thinks the Lakers center is right to believe he is the best defensive player in the league.

“No lies told,” the fan wrote.

Fans had some theories to explain why Davis was left off the finalists lists. Some blamed ESPN for creating the narrative that Davis should not be in the DPOY conversation.

“The most curious thing is that this news portal is one of the main culprits behind the narratives against Anthony Davis. Too much hypocrisy from ESPN,” a fan wrote.

Another fan challenged Davis to back up his words. He thinks Davis needs to prove he belongs in the conversation by guarding Nikola Jokic.

“Show us by actually guarding Jokic for the full 48 tonight,” a fan wrote.

Another fan came at Davis for shying away from Jokic. This fan does not think Davis can be DPOY if he does not take on the challenge of always guardian Jokic when playing Denver.

“Best defensive player in the league but to afraid to check Jokic for an entire game when he plays the same position as you……doesn’t make sense at all…..When Darvin came out with the game plan to have Rui on Jokic AD should’ve said scratch that and took on the challenge,” the fan wrote.

Another fan said there is a bigger issue. This fan believes Davis’ minutes harm the Lakers, especially on the defensive end.

“His team is worse defensively with him on the floor…” a fan wrote.

Anthony Davis' advanced defense stats

According to Second Spectrum, Anthony Davis is hugely impactful on defense. Davis is an elite rim protector.

The advanced stats show Davis is first in the league as the help defender when defending a blow-by at the rim. The Lakers allow 0.96 points per play in that situation, with Davis as the primary help when he slides over to stop the drive.

LA holds opponents to 60.0% shooting at the rim when Davis is on the floor, the top five in the league. The Lakers allow 65 percent with Davis off the floor, meaning they are 29th in the league.

Anthony Davis held opponents to 0.63 points per direct play as a post-up defender, first in the league in that advanced stat. Even though there are not many post-ups in today’s game, Davis is still an elite defender in those situations. He was also in the top five in defending isolation plays.