Lakers Rumors: Anthony Davis Could Be Out Several Months With Latest Thumb Injury

The Los Angeles Lakers will have to wait until they return home from China to have diagnostic tests performed to determine the severity of a right thumb injury to forward Anthony Davis.

The reason for the delay stems from the lack of necessary medical equipment within the arena where the injury took place on Saturday.

Davis suffered the injury during the first quarter of the Lakers’ 91-77 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. The first assessment by the team’s trainers was that the injury was a sprain, but the efforts to get a more official diagnosis were then stymied by the medical setup in place.

Exactly how severe the injury is remains unknown, though Davis was able to continue playing for a short period of time. He then went to the locker room and came out with the thumb wrapped in ice.

Not having Davis for an extended period of time would deliver a severe blow to the Lakers’ efforts at contending for supremacy in the Western Conference. While the team is hoping that the injury isn’t a major one, even a mild sprain could keep the veteran out for a while.

“A mild sprain should heal in about six weeks if you wear a splint or cast and do rehabilitation exercises,” according to HealthLine.com. “A more serious sprain may take several months to heal before you regain most of your thumb’s function again, especially if you had UCL surgery.”

The Lakers’ concerted efforts to trade for Davis culminated with his acquisition in June. However, until the official diagnosis of his injury is offered, the team will have to hope that it’s not the beginning of another injury-plagued campaign like last year.