The story of the 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers season has been untimely blows. The latest came in the form of an MCL sprain to Anthony Davis, who will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
In the third quarter of Friday's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jaden McDaniels fell backward into AD's leg, forcing the eight-time All-Star out of the game. Cameras caught Davis wilting in pain in the tunnel on the way to the locker room.
The incident was fluky, but an injury to AD's leg is not. Davis missed two games with soreness in his left knee early last week. He missed 36 of 72 games plus playoff action in 2020-21 with left leg injuries. He's been listed on the injury report with nine different ailments this season. He suffered a right ankle injury earlier in Friday's game. He's been crashing to the floor on a regular basis.
All things considered, Davis — who said he heard something “pop” when it happened – and the Lakers are relatively lucky that his injury wasn't worse.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6MnJXNoLPxevYvf5sx6Jv4?si=15eff865cf2f4d39
“Last year was a more of a ‘me’ thing,” Davis said. “This year was like a freakish play. So knowing that nothing I really could have done to avoid it, I guess, keeps me in a good place. … I mean, mentally, I’m fine. I’m in good spirits, just being around the team.
Regardless, it's the latest hold-up as the re-tooled Lakers struggle to build a foundation.
Davis bulked up over the summer and he's shouldered his brunt of criticism for the Lakers' underperformance. It's partially justified. AD's effort, physicality, and shot selection have been inconsistent, and his jump-shooting has been brutal. His numbers — 23.3 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 2.0 blocks, 56.9 TS% — still place him as one of the best players in the world, and his paint production and defense have been customarily elite.
The best-case scenario would sideline Davis for 15 or so games. However, Los Angeles has seen multiple return timelines (see: Kendrick Nunn, Trevor Ariza, Talen Horton-Tucker) extend longer than initially projected. As we know, “re-evaluated” does not mean “returning.”
The Lakers lost their first game without AD, though they respectably hung tough against the Chicago Bulls.
Before the game, interim head coach David Fizdale said the key to the Lakers treading water without Davis will be ball-movement.
“Even more so we gotta rely on each other. We gotta continue to trust the pass and trust the next man to do the job.”
David Fizdale says, without Anthony Davis, the Lakers have to "continue to trust the pass and trust the next man to do the job." He said ball movement and how the Lakers execute in "second situations” will be key to success without AD.
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) December 19, 2021
David Fizdale credited the Lakers for how they "wrapped their mind around how much we have to move the ball" to be a good offensive team while AD is out. Fiz was especially pleased with the Lakers ball movement and corresponding rhythm in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) December 20, 2021
Here are three other things to look for from the Lakers without AD.
1) More centerless lineups
Davis has played 70% of his minutes this season at the five, the highest mark of his career, per Silver Screen and Roll.
The Lakers have been increasingly experimenting with “centerless” lineups in recent weeks, featuring a frontcourt of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. Over its first 84 minutes, it delivered a net rating of -1.3. The spacing is clearly beneficial on offense, while it's predictably struggled on defense at times.
LeBron's individual stats have been better in those minutes. It allows him to orchestrate the defense from the back-line. But playing center can take more of a physical toll (though Trevor Ariza disagrees.) Either way, expect to see Vogel continue to deploy this tactic, even with Dwight Howard out of protocols.
The return of Ariza — who made his season debut on Sunday — should help in these scenarios. He can play power forward and his spacing should only help. In a small sample size in Chicago, the Lakers thrived with LeBron/Melo/and Ariza on the floor together.
2) Can Russ step up?
The Lakers pushed for the Westbrook trade so another star could help take the load off LeBron and AD.
Westbrook has played better overall basketball as of late, thanks to more disciplined shot selection and play-making. However, his scoring has dipped to 16.7 PPG. He'll need to up his scoring output for the time being.
“Instinctively, that's what you tell yourself,” Russ said about upping his points. “But also you have to read the game. Because the game will tell you always what to do … AD’s obviously a huge part of our team, we gotta figure out how to play without him for some time. Something we gotta adjust to.”
On defense, Russ and LeBron typically take plays off here and there to rest up, knowing AD is there. They won't be able to do that as much now. How much of a toll this takes on them, in the long run, is worth monitoring.
“Obviously we’re doing things on the fly,” Russ said. “Trying to figure out how to play with the lineups we have and the people we have available. New guys are stepping in that haven’t been here, so we have to do what we can. And that’s it. Just go out and play hard and let the rest take care of itself.”
3) Will the Lakers make a move?
The Lakers currently have three centers on the roster. One is Dwight Howard, who is effective in short-bursts but foul trouble prevents him from playing big minutes. Another is DeAndre Jordan, who is no longer a rotation caliber player (The Lakers are 9.5 points per 100 possession worse with him off the floor). The third is Jay Huff, an inexperienced G-Leaguer on a two-way.
Los Angeles has limited flexibility to make a deadline trade, and they don't currently have a spot open for a buyout candidate. You have to wonder if AD's injury will ramp up Pelinka's aggression.
He could swing big, and try to acquire Myles Turner for THT, Nunn, a 2027 first-rounder, and a handful of second-rounders. Or, he could seek a marginal upgrade, simply to add an extra body for the time being.
More than anything, Davis' injury serves as yet another remained for the fragility of the Lakers. Coming off an injury-riddled 2020-21 campaign — including major injuries to LeBron and AD — the team was hoping a normal offseason would keep them in good shape for this season.
Instead, ailments have defined the Lakers 2021-22 season — first to LeBron and supporting pieces, and now to AD.
Remember: the Lakers voluntarily re-shaped a relatively young, sturdy, championship-proven team two seasons in a row, presumably to line up with LeBron's timeline. Last year, it resulted in a play-in game appearance.
Suddenly, another play-in appearance looks eminently more likely — and perhaps welcome.
“This group has a lot of older players, so the idea that one person is gonna like clean up the slack of what (AD) brings to our team is impossible,” Ariza said. “So we have to do it by committee. And that’s what the plan is to do.”
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