LeBron James is obviously the leader of the Lakers, but star big man Anthony Davis is at least just as important to the team. What he brings on both ends of the floor allows the Purple and Gold to stay competitive against any team in the league.
Unfortunately, the Lakers got some bad news on Saturday, as it appears AD will be sidelined for at least a full month.
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
This season, the Lakers have been without much of their core group of players, including LeBron James. On the court, the players have had a hard time developing chemistry.
Without Davis for the next month, it’s yet another challenge the team will have to overcome if they hope to stay afloat in the West.
On Twitter, fans reacted to the news in all sorts of ways.
Yikes. Lakers finished https://t.co/0i9wigcXsi
— pixel george (@george_eshes) December 19, 2021
https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1472346035297128448https://twitter.com/Joey52800/status/1472343569864265733
— (Super) 〽️ario |#BLM (@NotLuigi89) December 18, 2021
https://twitter.com/KingHassan__/status/1472343782859411456https://twitter.com/Paul20539515/status/1472351711524433920
Damn man, another setback for an already unsteady squad
— Josh Bhagratie (@JBhagratie) December 18, 2021
Lakers fans pic.twitter.com/LLwlB9LMk2
— 🇨🇩Sports Guy🇨🇩 (@PlamsAbt) December 18, 2021
Pain pic.twitter.com/gg2XMmReMO
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) December 18, 2021
— 🥷🏽 (@LBJcrib) December 18, 2021
https://twitter.com/james37129/status/1472404204522250241
Fortunately, the injury is nothing serious, so Davis should be able to make a full recovery in time for the All-Star break.
The biggest issue for the NBA Champion, however, may not even be his durability. Rather, it’s the aggression (or lack thereof) that he’s been playing with recently. Described as lethargic and lazy on the court, AD’s impact doesn’t always match his talent and countless individuals have called him out this season.
“Now y’all really crossed the line cause I really like Frank Vogel. Listen, I blame Anthony Davis,” said Charles Barkley. “Anthony Davis you know I like you as a person but you ain’t doing what you’re supposed to do. You’re 27 years old, you’re supposed to be in your prime. You’re supposed to be one of the five best players in the world up there with Giannis, Kevin Durant, and those guys and you ain’t holding up your end of the bargain. And now I hear y’all going to fire the coach? That’s total BS man.”
The truth is, the Lakers can never reach their full potential if Anthony Davis doesn’t play at the top of his game.
As one of the most talented players in the NBA, he is capable of replacing LeBron as the leader and focal point of the Lakers. So far, though, he hasn’t shown he’s up for the task.
When he returns in a few weeks, he’ll have another chance to prove everyone wrong.
