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Potentially good news for Los Angeles Lakers fans: Anthony Davis could return to the lineup before the end of the month.
Following Lakers practice on Friday, head coach Frank Vogel declined to offer any specifics on Davis, other than to say he will be re-evaluated early next week, after which the team will provide an update on their star big-man. Davis has been sidelined since Dec. 17 with an MCL sprain in his left knee. Vogel's comments were par for the course since the Lakers announced the injury and said he would be re-evaluated in four weeks. That four-week window closed on Friday.
There’s no update on Anthony Davis right now, other than that he’ll be reevaluated by the medical staff in the next few days, and we’ll likely hear from AD next week.
He’s been out with the left MCL sprain that occurred on Dec. 17 at Minnesota.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 14, 2022
However, ESPN's Dave McMenamin was able to glean a bit more information about the status of the eight-time All-Star. Davis reportedly did individual on-court work in practice on Friday and has been “moving well” in recent workouts, doing so while wearing a brace on his left knee. We saw Davis shooting around with the brace before a Lakers home game on Jan. 9.
Anthony Davis out on the court, shooting with a knee brace. He was jumping rope a little earlier. pic.twitter.com/xmfdeCojoV
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) January 10, 2022
According to McMenamin, there is internal “optimism” that Davis could return to the Lakers lineup at some point during their six-game, annual “GRAMMYs” road trip at the end of January.
The Lakers will hit the road for six games in 10 days, beginning on Jan. 21. They'll visit the Orlando Magic (1/21), Miami Heat (1/23), Brooklyn Nets (1/25), Philadelphia 76ers (1/27), Charlotte Hornets (1/28), and the Atlanta Hawks (1/30).
The Lakers have lost two games in a row and sit at .500 — seventh in the Western Conference. Predictably, their defense has struggled mightily without Davis, as the team pivots to more “centerless” basketball with LeBron James at the 5.
Davis has missed the past 12 games. Los Angeles is 5-7 in those games, though are 8-7 overall without AD on the season.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1TPm3OFftbac33PA5zzf8R?si=e185062c81134868
Davis is averaging 23.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in 27 appearances this season. He's shooting 56.6% from the field, but just 17.9% from three-point range and 72.7% from the free-throw line.
