The Los Angeles Lakers came away with a win against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, but like how most of the 2021-22 season has gone, they were dealt a major blow.
In the second quarter, the Lakers saw Anthony Davis go down and immediately clutch at his ankle. Replay showed that he had turned it and the big man had to be helped off the floor, sucking the air out of the Crypto.com Arena.
Davis was ruled out for the remainder of the game, and LeBron James could not help but feel bad for seeing his costar and friend get hurt again.
“Obviously I’m sickened to see AD go down in that fashion,” James said after the game. “I hope he’s fine. I mean, obviously I know he’s not great, but obviously his health is most important for him individually and for our ball club. I’ve seen it too many times obviously, so I wish him the best and there’s still a game that needed to be played at the end of the day. I set out to make plays to try to help us win – I was able to do that.”
James added that he spoke with Davis at halftime and stressed that he will be back soon.
“I saw him at halftime and I hated to see him in that fashion. Anytime you see a guy with crutches it’s not a good sign. The good thing is that he’ll be a lot better when we come back than he is tonight. No matter where he is, he’ll be better a week from today when we all come back, or when those guys come back. Time heals all and like I said, it’s an unfortunate play, unfortunate event, and he’ll get back obviously as soon as he can but nothing to rush.”
Davis has already missed time due to several ailments, and this recent injury could keep him out for another prolonged stretch pending the MRI results. For the second season in a row, the Lakers can not seem to stay healthy and this will greatly affect their chances of climbing out of the nine seed.
Los Angeles does catch a small break as Davis will get more time to recover during the All-Star break, but ankle sprains can typically hold a player out between a couple of weeks to months. Considering Davis’ injury history, the Laker organization must be careful during his rehab process and ensure that they bring him along once he is fully past the sprain.
With Davis likely out for several games, James will once again need to assume more responsibility for the team and try to carry them to victories. Hopefully he is able to do so and keep the Purple and Gold in the playoff race.
James expected to feel effects of knee injury for remainder of 2021-22 season
Overworking James almost seems inevitable given the team’s current playoff positioning, but the superstar is also not completely healthy as he is still suffering from knee swelling. He believes that it will be something he will have to deal with until the offseason, so the Lakers must monitor his workload closely.
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