While players like LeBron James are excited for Anthony Davis to finally return, the Los Angeles Lakers must ensure he is fully healthy before he can play.
Davis has been hard at work rehabbing an MCL injury and all signs point to him coming back during the Lakers’ current road trip. Interestingly enough, Davis was listed as questionable prior to their loss to the Miami Heat for the first time before ultimately being ruled out.
Head coach Frank Vogel said the team has been pleased with how his ramp-up has gone but is waiting to see more improvement.
“He’s going to be out tonight,” Vogel said before the game. “That was more about he’s getting closer. Felt good with his work yesterday, but not quite there yet.”
It seemed like a long shot that Davis could suit up against the Heat, and Vogel confirmed it was not trending toward him playing. “We knew this was the first game where it would be possible, but still unlikely. So we just checked in on how he felt yesterday knowing that he’d still be probably not ready yet, but getting closer.”
As far as the decision to mark Davis as questionable, Vogel explained that it was made for the sake of transparency. “We got to make sure we do it safely and at the right pace and at the right time.
“In terms of what pushed it, we just knew he was getting close and we want to have transparency with reporting that it wasn’t 100 percent that he wouldn’t play, so we upgraded him to questionable, but we knew it was probably unlikely and there was no setbacks or anything like that. It was a matter of him getting closer.”
Even though Davis was sorely missed in Miami, his health is of the utmost importance as the Lakers try to make a run down the stretch of the 2021-22 season. The Purple and Gold sorely miss their best two-way presence and it will be a welcomed sight when he is finally ready to go.
Vogel: Lakers will see how Davis responds to Monday’s workout before deciding status
After the game, Vogel was asked if Davis will be ready to play on Tuesday and said it will come down to how he looks in his workout on Monday
“I don’t know yet. Tomorrow he’s going to get some work in and we’ll see how his body’s responding and we’ll make decisions at that point,” Vogel said.
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