The Los Angeles Lakers have finally got some good news on the injury front as it looks as if superstar big man Anthony Davis will be returning to the lineup soon. Davis has been out since December with a sprained MCL and adding him back with LeBron James playing at the level he has been could potentially give the Lakers the boost they sorely need in the second half of this season.
Davis remains one of the most talented players in the NBA and averaged 23.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks before going down with the knee injury. He brings an entirely new dimension to the Lakers on both ends of the floor and LeBron and the rest of the team are looking forward to his impending return.
“Well anytime you get a talent like that come back to the lineup it boosts our team,” James said. “Not only physically, mentally, spiritually, everything when you get a big-time player like that on both sides of the floor. So like I said, it’s no pressure on when he decides he’s ready or when the doctors and staff tell him he’s ready, but we look forward to when he’s in a uniform again with us.”
Davis is undoubtedly itching to get back on the floor and with the Lakers still hovering around the .500 mark despite LeBron’s outstanding play, this season is on the brink of truly collapsing. One thing Davis’ return could help with is lessening the load on James, who has been maintaining an unbelievable level of play, scoring at least 25 points in every games since Davis has gone down.
But once again, James isn’t concerned with how much is on his plate.
“That’s just how the games have been going,” LeBron added after the Lakers’ loss to the Miami Heat. “I don’t need to score 30 a night, but I’m in one of the best zones offensively I’ve been in in my career and I don’t plan on stopping it. That’s just how I feel, I feel fantastic, shooting the ball extremely well from the field. I didn’t shoot the 3-ball well tonight but all eight of them felt great. Shooting efficient from the free-throw line, shooting efficient from the field, very efficient at the rim.
“So I don’t go into the games saying ‘oh, you got to score 30 or you guys don’t have a chance.’ I just play the game, the scoring has just been happening organically. So workload, I don’t even know. I was 18 years old saving a franchise so I don’t understand [the issue].”
James and Davis have proven to be a championship duo and if the latter can play at the level he did during that title run, the Lakers can finally become the team many thought they would before this season began.
James excited for avis to return to Lakers
Make no mistake, James is extremely excited that Davis should be back on the floor soon, but he is also adamant that it be clear Davis is healthy before anything else.
“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.”
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