Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis will be out for an indefinite period of time due to a stress injury to his right foot, the team announced on Friday. No specific information was provided about the type of stress injury. A stress fracture is a four-to-six-week recovery time.
Davis suffered the injury last Friday against the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers initially called it a right foot issue and reports said he would be out for at least one month. An official diagnosis was not made as L.A. seeked second and third opinions to determine the severity of his injury.
Although the Lakers did not give an official timeline, it appears Davis is already making progress and may not miss that much time, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
ESPN Sources: The pain has subsided in past several days in Anthony Davis' foot and he's expected to rest it for another 7-to-10 days and have it re-evaluated and see if he can return to play. For now, there's hope that a procedure can be avoided. https://t.co/4B2RXiAZTV
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 23, 2022
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, it may be two weeks before Davis is reevaluated:
Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis (foot) to be re-evaluated around the two-week mark, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. If healing properly, the hope is he could ramp up his workouts en route to a return.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 23, 2022
The introduction of the word procedure is new to Davis’ injury. Any surgery or procedure would put Davis on the shelf for an extended period of time. However, it seems the Lakers are optimistic rest can be enough to keep the issue from prolonging — an encouraging sign.
It was reported right after the Nuggets game that the Lakers had hoped Davis did not suffer anything serious. Dealing with a foot injury on a 7-foot big man is a sensitive and tricky situation. Taking time to ensure Davis is 100% is imperative for his future even without taking into consideration his injury history.
The impact of Davis’ injury on the court is clear — he was playing arguably the best basketball of his career, averaging 27.4 points, 12 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. He had a stretch of four games with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds too, the first Laker since Shaq to do so.
Davis injury may affect Lakers’ trade plans
But, his injury might put a halt on the Lakers’ decision to make a splashy trade to bolster the roster. The most likely trade is a small one involving Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn plus a first-round pick. The goal is to find a 3-and-D wing or combo forward to accompany Davis and LeBron.
Any possible moves will overshadow the more important task for the Lakers in the next couple of weeks — getting Davis healthy. His play elevates L.A.’s chances of making noise this season and salvaging the final year of Russell Westbrook’s contract. The Lakers are a different team when he’s on the court.
If Davis misses more than a month, the Lakers’ record could be out of hand enough that his return wouldn’t do much. LeBron said they will try to hold down the fort until Davis’ return, but it’s a task easier said than done.
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