The Los Angeles Lakers announced that Anthony Davis (left knee MCL sprain) has been upgraded to questionable for Sunday’s game against the Miami Heat. Davis will be a game-time decision, so they will presumably test out the knee pregame to see how it feels.
The news comes as a bit of a surprise considering Frank Vogel said earlier in the week that Davis was not that close to returning. Vogel did say that Davis was beginning to engage in light shooting though, so it’s good to see his knee responded well to those workouts to the point where he was upgraded to questionable.
A recent report indicated there was optimism Davis could return at some point during the Lakers’ current road trip, which would be big news given the overall state of the team and the competition they’ll be facing.
L.A. began the trip with a win over the Orlando Magic on Friday night, but they now face some of the best teams in the Eastern Conference in the Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks.
James wants to ensure Davis is healthy before returning
It remains to be seen if Davis will be able to return as early as Sunday, but one thing that is for sure is the Lakers will not rush him back.
LeBron James spoke on that after the win over the Magic, saying he wants to ensure Davis is healthy before returning with the bigger picture in mind.
“Obviously, rhythm is always what’s most important and then his health. We’ll say health first then rhythm,” James said. “Whenever AD is ready, we’re going to love that. That’s for sure. One of our biggest guns that we have and having him on the floor creates so much for us offensively and defensively. We’re able to do so much more, but his health is what’s most important.
“Once we know that he’s healthy and he knows that he’s healthy, we’ll get him back on the floor and start getting his wind and his rhythm.”
The Lakers currently sit at .500 at 23-23 on the year, and with the trade deadline just around the corner, plus recent reports regarding Vogel’s job security, this could be a make-or-break trip for the team.
Having Davis for any portion of it would be beneficial, but only if he is 100% healthy and not risking re-injury.
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