For the second consecutive season, the Los Angeles Lakers have been snakebitten by injuries with players constantly in and out of the lineup.
LeBron James has missed games due to ankle and abdominal injuries, while players like Trevor Ariza and Kendrick Nunn have yet to make their 2021-22 season debuts. Every time a player comes back, it seems like one drops off and that was the case before the Lakers’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder as Anthony Davis was a late scratch due to left knee soreness.
Davis is no stranger to getting hurt as he seemingly suffers some sort of malady each game, but the news of his knee was surprising given that it happened the day of their game against the Thunder. Prior to tipoff against the Orlando Magic, head coach Frank Vogel announced the big man would not play but did provide some good news regarding his injury.
“Anthony is going to be out again tonight,” Vogel said. “He’ll be considered day-to-day. They did an ultrasound on it. Everything is structurally intact. Just taking another day with the two days off before the next game. Hopefully, put this behind us.”
Hearing that there is nothing seriously wrong with Davis’ knee is the best-case scenario and it sounds like he should be able to suit up sometime later in the week assuming there are no setbacks. Vogel previously said he was unsure how long Davis would be out, but if it is a load-management situation then the star should not be expected to miss much time at all.
The Lakers can not afford to have any of their Big 3 out for extended stretches as they try to climb out of the hole they dug themselves in through a quarter of the season. Even though it feels like Davis has underwhelmed, he has actually been the most consistent superstar for Los Angeles and it will be a welcomed sight whenever he is able to get back on the floor.
LeBron James getting healthier
Although Davis will remain sidelined in the short term, the Lakers can breathe a sigh of relief that James has started to round back into form after a rough couple of weeks. James has noticeably had more bounce in his step the previous few games and the 36-year-old admitted he is getting healthier and healthier every day.
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