Lakers aim to avoid grim future with newly-injured star player.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ season has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows, and the situation could worsen due to concerning news surrounding their star power forward’s injury.
Lakers’ Anthony Davis takes a day-by-day approach after latest setback
Lakers All-Star Anthony Davis is currently dealing with a foot injury sustained during the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ 115-103 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday.
In an update provided by Khobi Price of the Orange County Register, Davis shared his thoughts on the injury and his status going forward. “My goal for every game is to be on the floor,” Davis said. “I just kind of landed directly on the spot that’s been bothering me. We’ll figure it out.”
When asked about the severity of the injury, Davis said: “I don’t know. I’m not sure, to be honest. We’ll see. But we’ll take it a day at a time and see how it feels.”
Davis has been one of the NBA’s top performers early this season
Through the Lakers’ first seven games of the 2024-25 season, Davis has looked like an MVP contender. He’s leading the league with an impressive 32.6 points per game on 57.1 percent shooting, while also contributing 11.6 rebounds per game in a double-double performance.
The 2012 No. 1 overall pick has been central to the Lakers’ four victories so far, but their success has mirrored Davis’ own fluctuating health, which has been a recurring issue over the past few years.
Lakers: Davis has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons
Although Davis managed to play through L.A.’s recent loss to Detroit, his history of injuries, particularly those affecting his lower body, has kept him sidelined for 110 out of 318 possible games from the 2020-21 to 2023-24 seasons. These setbacks have been a trend in recent years, with Davis also missing significant time in 2015-16 (61 games played) and 2018-19 (56 games played).
Meanwhile, the Lakers have struggled with inconsistent performances from former All-Star D’Angelo Russell and a cooling off from Rui Hachimura after a strong start.
To make matters worse, Los Angeles is among the NBA’s bottom four teams in rebounding, averaging just 41.6 boards per game, with Davis grabbing nearly 28 percent of those. Additionally, the Lakers’ bench has been underperforming in scoring, putting even more pressure on Davis to carry the offensive load.
Lakers need their supporting players to step up, with or without Davis
If Davis is unable to play, the Lakers will be in dire need of help on both ends of the floor, particularly in rebounding, rim protection, and scoring. LeBron James, who has deferred to Davis this season, will need to take on a larger role, along with Austin Reaves, Hachimura, Russell, and struggling sixth man Gabe Vincent. All will need to elevate their performances, whether or not Davis is available. Still, the team remains hopeful that their star player will be ready to return to full strength soon.