Anthony Davis has been upgraded to questionable for the Los Angeles Lakers matchup against the Miami Heat on Sunday at FTX Arena. Davis has missed the past five weeks (16 games) with a sprained MCL in his left knee — an injury he suffered against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 17.

A couple of weeks ago, reports indicated that the Lakers were internally optimistic that Davis could return at some point during the current six-game road trip. Los Angeles began the potentially season-defining East Coast excursion with a victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday.

The last detailed update Lakers head coach Frank Vogel provided on his All-Star big man came on Monday, following the Lakers' win over the Utah Jazz.

“Everything looked clean on the MRI and the checkup with doctors, so he’s been cleared for an on-court ramp-up with contact,” Vogel said. “That doesn’t mean we’ll have a timeline. There’s still a reconditioning and ramp-up of work involved.”

AD conducted a pre-game workout on the court in Orlando, encouragingly without a brace on his knee. According to Spectrum's Mike Trudell, Davis will undergo a similar workout before tip in Miami and he and the Lakers medical staff will determine if he's ready to go.

AD has spent his rehab working on his jump shot, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. Davis reached out to Jared Dudley about how to shed weight during rehab, too.

The Lakers are 10-9 without AD this season, and 7-9 over the current 16-game stretch. Davis, LeBron James, and Russell Westbrook have played only 15 games together. AD is averaging 23.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.

The Lakers could use him more than ever, both for basketball reasons and to divert the focus away from Vogel's job security and Westbrook's role going forward. Los Angeles will be hoping his return provides a jolt for a team that has struggled to put forth consistent effort this season.

Davis' services would certainly help against Bam Adebayo. The Lakers also face Joel Embiid and Clint Capela on the road trip.

“Whenever AD is ready, we’re going to love that, that’s for sure,” LeBron said. “He’s one of our biggest guys that we have, and having him on the floor just creates so much for us offensively and defensively. We’re able to do so much more.”