The Los Angeles Lakers will be taking part in a preseason matchup versus the Sacramento Kings on Monday, but they will not be at full strength in the game.
The team announced othat four players are on the injury report including superstar Anthony Davis, who is dealing with tightness in his lower back.
While Davis is probable for the game, the other three players listed on the injury report, Troy Brown Jr., Dennis Schroder and Lonnie Walker IV, will all be out.
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As Lakers fans know all too well, injuries have been an issue for Davis for the past two seasons of his career. In the 2020-21 season, Davis played in just 36 regular season games. He also exited the Lakers’ first-round playoff series that season.
Though the Lakers had a 2-1 lead in the series at the time, they went on to lose it in six games.
Last season, Davis barely improved upon his availability, playing in just 40 games. The Lakers went on to miss the playoffs entirely. Davis’ absence for over half the season played a heavy role in the team failing to advance to the playoffs.
Now, the eight-time All-Star seems determined to put his injury woes behind him. He declared earlier this offseason that he has the goal of playing in all 82 regular season games this season.
Anthony Davis says his goal is to play all 82 games this season.
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) September 26, 2022
While that seems wholly unlikely, it would be amazing if Davis could stay healthy for the vast majority of his team’s matchups.
After all, when Davis is on the floor, the Lakers are an immensely talented team. He and LeBron James are still arguably the most talented duo in the league. Moreover, his defensive prowess allows the rest of the Lakers players to play more aggressively, knowing that they have Davis as a last line of defense near the rim.
So, while the tightness in Davis’ back shouldn’t be cause for much concern, Lakers fans obviously have good reason to not be enthused about the fact that he is already on the injury report.
Ultimately, even if Davis does play tonight, he will likely get just a few minutes of run in. NBA teams are rather choosy about giving their stars big minutes in the preseason.
Following Monday’s game, the Lakers will have five more preseason tipoffs before taking on the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 18 to begin the regular season.
