Lakers' Deandre Ayton Takes Massive Shot at Himself After Perfect Night

Dec 4, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) dunks for a basket over Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley (5) in the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton played nearly perfect Sunday night against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Ayton made all seven of his field goal attempts, finishing with 14 points, 12 rebounds and two assists with zero turnovers. In the process, Ayton became the first player in Lakers' history to finish with a double-double while not missing a shot with zero turnovers.

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Despite his record-setting contributions to a much-needed Lakers' win, Ayton wasn't impressed.

"I can do way more than that. That's mediocre to me. That's the stuff I can contribute to," Ayton told reporters after practice on Tuesday. "14 and 12 ain't nothing to me, that's just normal regulation play. That's my priority, to finish off with double doubles, that's a mandatory thing to do for this team.

“I can to do way more than that. … That’s mediocre to me. … 14 and 12 ain’t nothing to me. ... That’s a mandatory thing to do for this team.” - Deandre Ayton after becoming the 1st LAL starter ever to have a double-double while not missing a shot (7-of-7) and zero turnovers. pic.twitter.com/EWHeR1AGeJ

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 9, 2025

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For Lakers head coach JJ Redick, it wasn't Ayton's offensive performance that stood out to him, but his presence as a defender.

"I thought DA, in particular, led on that end of the floor for us. We just talked about it in the locker room; he did a ton of stuff," Redick told reporters after the game. “He was in drop being disruptive… Getting loose balls. He was blocking shots. He was switching on to [Tyrese] Maxey. Just whatever we needed him to do on that end of the floor in the second half, he was great.”

Ayton finished with a block and a steal, with 10 of his rebounds coming on defense. His defensive rating for the game was an impressive 101.6.

Again, however, Ayton was surprised to receive any sort of praise for his performance.

"I'm gonna be real: I don't know what [Redick] was talking about. I don't even know," Ayton said after the game. "I was asking, 'What do you mean?' I just do what I have to do."

Ayton has never been known as an elite defender over his eight seasons in the NBA, but after Sunday night's performance — and the praise from his head coach — the 27-year-old might feel more confident in his capabilities on the defensive end of the floor.

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