Durability is one of the most important characteristics of an NBA superstar. No matter how good you are, or what you can do, you’ve got to be able to stay on the court for it to matter.
We have seen, all too many times, stars who have all the talent in the world but not enough durability to last keep them playing for long periods of time.
Unfortunately, this seems to be true for Lakers superstar Anthony Davis. The young big man is widely considered as one of the best players in the game, but his body too often limits what he can do (and for how long he can do it).
Over the course of his 7-year career, AD has missed a total of 110 regular-season games. With the numbers varying from a career-high 26 games missed in one season to 7, Davis has yet to play in at least 80 games for a single season.
Here is a look at how many games Anthony Davis has missed each season of his career pic.twitter.com/FLz93NeaOx
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 4, 2020
Of these games missed, they have all been due to varies injuries to his back, chest, hand, elbow, foot, groin, head, ankle, knee, toe, hip, quad, thumb, shoulder, and finger. It poses a serious problem for the Lakers.
“Davis has an issue with keeping his body free from any sort of pain or damage,” writes Eddie Bitar. “It may even be the reason why he prefers to play the power forward position over the center position. He simply cannot take the beating and keep healthy every night and always seems to have a problem with something, and he has missed significant time in the past.”
“He consistently fails to complete an 82 game season, and this is not a good sign.
He was very young when he experienced these injuries, and this will likely not improve as he gets older. In fact, there is a chance that it might worsen. Even this season, Davis seems to have a lingering shoulder issue that is deeply troubling even if most don’t realize it yet.”
Though Davis has only missed 2 games this year, his injury history should be a concern for the Lakers. If he can’t stay healthy, especially come playoff time, it’s unlikely that LeBron James can carry this team on his own, not at 35-years-old.
They should tread very carefully in the weeks and months to come.
