The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly are expected to be without star Anthony Davis through at least the middle of January.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania revealed Davis’ status for FanDuel TV.
Shams Charania on Anthony Davis:
“He’s definitely going to be out at least through mid-January.”
(via @FanDuelTV) pic.twitter.com/85CEVmCNzO
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 28, 2022
The Lakers are hoping to stay in the playoff picture in the Western Conference until Davis is able to return from his foot injury. If he’s able to come back in January, it may be a best-case scenario for the team, as it was previously reported that he could miss up to two to three months with the injury.
This season, Davis is averaging 27.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 59.4 percent from the field.
He’s been arguably the Lakers’ best player this season, and the team doesn’t have the depth to replace him during the season unless it makes a trade and sacrifices future draft capital in the process.
Thomas Bryant has stepped in for Davis for the Lakers, and he’s coming off a big performance on Tuesday night against the Orlando Magic. Bryant finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds while making eight of his 10 shot attempts.
Davis’ foot injury is just yet another blow for him in the injury department over the last few seasons. When he was healthy for the majority of the season in the 2019-20 campaign, the Lakers went on to win the NBA title.
However, Davis appeared in just 40 games last season and 36 games in the 2020-21 season due to injuries. Los Angeles missed the playoffs last year with him banged up, and it is in danger of a similar fate this season.
Right now, the Lakers are the No. 13 seed in the Western Conference heading into Wednesday night’s matchup with the Miami Heat. The Lakers are just 3-6 with Davis out of the lineup this season, and they seem to be facing a few more weeks without him.
It will be up to LeBron James to lead this team for the time being if the Lakers want any chance of competing for a playoff spot.
Los Angeles is just 2.5 games out of the No. 10 seed in the West, which would at least put the team in the play-in tournament with a chance to make the playoffs.
