The story for the Los Angeles Lakers this season has been a whirl of ebbs and flows, and that could be worsened by potentially devastating news they are facing regarding their superstar power forward.
Lakers’ Anthony Davis is taking a day-by-day approach amid latest injury
Lakers All-Star Anthony Davis is currently banged up with a foot injury he sustained in the fourth quarter of Los Angeles’ 115-103 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday night. According to Khobi Price of the Orange County Register, the Kentucky product had this to say about his ailment and his potential availability moving forward in the short term:
“My goal for every game is to be on the floor,” Davis said. “And I just kind of landed directly on the spot that’s been killing me. So, we’ll figure it out.”
When asked about the severity of the foot issue, Davis responded: “I don’t know. I’m not sure to be honest. We’ll see. But we’ll take it a day at a time and kind of see how it feels and where it goes.”
Davis has been one of the NBA’s best performers so far this season
Davis has looked like a league MVP through the Lakers’ first seven games of the 2024-25 NBA season. He leads the Association in scoring with 32.6 points per game on 57.1 percent shooting from the field. Davis is doing so in double-double fashion with 11.6 rebounds a night. The former No. 1 overall pick from 2012 has been the main catalyst for the Lakers’ four wins thus far, but their strong play has come and gone akin to the way Davis’ health has over the last several seasons.
Lakers: Injuries have taken their toll on Davis in recent memory
While Davis was able to play well through L.A.’s matchup against Detroit, his lengthy history of injuries, especially to his lower extremities, has robbed him of 110 out of a possible 318 games from 2020-21 until the 2023-24 campaign. That’s also only the case as of late, as injuries considerably chipped away at a couple of his other prior seasons, notably in 2015-16 (61 games played) and 2018-19 (56 GP).
As for his team, Los Angeles is getting inconsistent individual play from former All-Star D’Angelo Russell, while Rui Hachimura’s hot start to the year has cooled off. To make matters worse, the Lakers are the fourth-worst rebounding team in the league (41.6 RPG) with Davis accounting for 27.8 percent of their boards. Plus, L.A.’s bench is laboring mightily in the scoring department, necessitating their franchise player to do the hefty lifting on offense.
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Lakers will need their supporting cast to rise to the occasion with or without Davis active
Should Davis be forced to miss time, the Lakers will greatly suffer on the glass, protecting the rim, and piling on points. They’ll need superstar LeBron James, who has deferred to Davis this year, Austin Reaves, Hachimura, and Russell to all score in volume, as well as sixth man Gabe Vincent to break out of his early season slump with or without their 31-year-old leader active. That being said, the franchise is hoping that their alpha dog will be ready to go at full strength moving forward.
The Lakers (4-3) will take on the Memphis Grizzlies (4-4) in the last game of their five-game road trip on Wednesday evening. Opening tip is set for 5 PM PT.
