The Los Angeles Lakers lost more than just the game when they traveled north to Minnesota.
While they did manage their 14th loss of the season, the injury sustained by Anthony Davis will have far more consequences than the mere defeat. Davis, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania, is expected to be out at least a month.
Given his role in the franchise, this couldn’t have come at a worse time for Los Angeles.
Lakers star Anthony Davis has MCL sprain in left knee and will miss at least four weeks, team says.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 18, 2021
Davis already wasn’t having a great season. He was struggling with his shot, notching his lowest three-point percentage since he started shooting volume threes back in the 2015-2016 season. Davis has, however, still managed to hit over 50% of his field goals.
A crucial part of this franchise, how the Lakers opt to move forward is going to be interesting.
They’ll have major liabilities defensively if they toss the veteran Carmelo Anthony at the four. It would make more sense to have Malik Monk at the two along with Wayne Ellington, then put LeBron James at the four.
Nonetheless, continuing without Davis is not going to be easy. The former Wildcat has now collected an NBA Title and eight All-Star appearances. This season, he’s averaging 23.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.
Not having that production will handicap the Lakers, a team that was finally starting to churn out some wins. The Lakers have risen to 6th in the Western Conference, but Davis’ injury could change all that.
Since leaving New Orleans, Davis has yet to play more than 65 games in a season.
His durability should be seen as a real concern moving forward. Further setbacks with this current injury are certainly possible as well. I’d think a late-January return could be in the works for the star forward.