The Los Angeles Lakers have been dealt a bad hand so far this season. Despite being a top-four team in the vaunted Western Conference, injuries to prominent rotational players like Anthony Davis and LeBron James have restricted the team’s potential.
Injuries, along with the season being enmeshed with the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has caused several missed games and weeks due to health and safety protocols, oftentimes play a role in a team’s success, but the Lakers are dealing with missing their two All-Stars.
Without Davis, who hasn’t played since Feb. 16, the Lakers have a record of 7-10 through 17 games. For additional context, Dennis Schroder missed four of those games because of health and safety protocols as well as Marc Gasol, who missed 10 games. James has also missed three-and-a-half games.
But it appears help may be on the horizon, as Davis could be making his highly anticipated return in a matter of weeks, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports:
“League sources have informed me that Anthony Davis is still approximately two and a half weeks out from returning.”
That time frame comprises six games — Cleveland, Orlando, Milwaukee, Sacramento, L.A. Clippers, Toronto — assuming Davis returns on April 8 for the contest against the Miami Heat, which is right around the reported duration.
James, who sprained his right ankle in a matchup against Atlanta, is another return the Lakers are eagerly awaiting, though Haynes said Davis is likely to return first of the two:
“I was told A.D. will come back before LeBron. I don’t know by how much, but that’s the way it stands right now.”
However, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel seemed more cautious about Davis’ timetable, explaining a potential return isn’t as close.
“I really don’t want to get into every little detail of what he’s doing each day,” Vogel said. “He’s still a ways away and I know he’s doing some on-the-court shooting, but he’s still a ways away.”
James expected to miss 4-6 weeks with ankle sprain
As Haynes reported, Davis could be returning to the hardwood before James does, as the latter is expected to miss around 4-6 weeks from the injury he suffered to his right ankle.
At the earliest, given the approximation, James could return a week and a half after Davis, which would be around the time the Lakers host back-to-back games against the Utah Jazz on the weekend of April 17.
The Lakers haven’t looked like title contenders during the current four-game skid without James and Davis. If they can manage a few more weeks, they’d receive a major boost with Davis’ return.
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