The Los Angeles Lakers have managed to tread water with Anthony Davis out of the lineup, though they surely could have used him this past week after dropping their third consecutive game.
Even at 19-24, the Lakers are still only one game out of the final Play-In Tournament spot but it remains to be seen how long Davis will remain out. Davis, along with Austin Reaves and Lonnie Walker IV, are progressing well in their respective rehabs but Los Angeles needs them back as soon as possible before they lose more ground in the standings.
Prior to the game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Davis was seen on the floor getting some court work in and showed no visible signs of the foot injury he’s been dealing with.
First time I’ve seen AD getting some light court work in pregame since he suffered the foot injury. pic.twitter.com/4CJx8t0xd8
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) January 16, 2023
Jumper looks solid… pic.twitter.com/tJAtsEyeFM
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) January 16, 2023
As far as what it’ll take for Davis to return, Darvin Ham noted that they need to see the star big man running and responding well to the increased activity.
“Just ramp up the on-court stuff. Getting him running up and down. Right now, he’s basically been regulated to staying in the halfcourt but just once we see him running and then coming in the following day just to see how his body responds to his foot in particular, just see how he responds to increased workload on the workout.”
The good thing is that according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Davis is beginning to do some running:
“Anthony Davis is expected to start running now. So once that happens and he’s back onto the floor running at full speed, at that point he’s gonna progress to contact work in the relative near future. I’m told that the hope is that Anthony Davis is gonna be able to get back out on the floor with a handful of games left before the All-Star break, so that puts you out about early February for a potential return for Anthony Davis to get back on the floor. He’s got a bone spur issue, he’s got a stress reaction in that foot and so he’s one of the guys that should be in the All-Star Game this year voted in. He’s already among the leaders in the fans so you’ve got to come back before the All-Star break if you want to play in the game itself. We’ll see if he’s gonna be able to make it back, but right now the goal is for Anthony Davis to be back out on the floor with about a handful of games left and that puts you right around the trade deadline. We’ll see how that impacts which moves the Lakers can make.”
With how many injuries Davis has endured, the team is taking all the proper precautions and steps to ensure he is 100 percent before clearing him to play. It’s frustrating for everyone involved, but it’s ultimately the right move as their 2022-23 season clearly hinges on Davis being available and playing at the MVP level he was before getting hurt.
For now, it seems that things are progressing according to plan and he should be able to return in the coming weeks. The Lakers need to do their best to hold down the fort, but that’s easier said than done as they’ve already blown games they should’ve won.
Lakers looking to make deal that makes them better for next 3 years
Without Davis, there should be more urgency from Los Angeles to acquire help via the trade market. However, they’ve been reluctant to trade any draft capital and making things more difficult is they’re reportedly looking at deals that make them better during the next three years.
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