Anthony Davis has been one of the best defensive players in the NBA to start the season, being the crucial anchor of the Lakers’ defense. Unfortunately, he seemed to pick up a groin injury in the Lakers’ loss against the Miami Heat, causing the Lakers star to sit out for most of the second half and concerning fans around the world. Davis has explained how the injury happened.
“Off the spin move, just awkward, spazzed up. I felt fine coming out of halftime, then it just spazzed up again. Then went to get it wrapped up, felt fine for a longer stint, then kinda just spazzed up again.”
Anthony Davis: "Off the spin move, just awkward, spazzed up. I felt fine coming out of halftime, then it just spazzed up again. Then went to get it wrapped up, felt fine for a longer stint, then kinda just spazzed up again."
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) November 7, 2023
The injury being a non-contact one has concerned fans, as these kinds of injuries can take a while to heal. Even if Davis manages to return soon, he will be endangering the team’s chances of success by playing through the injury this early into the season. A major groin injury could end the Lakers’ hopes of competing this season, similar to how a groin injury ruined LeBron’s first season with the Lakers in 2018-19.
Anthony Davis exited tonight’s Lakers-Heat game with an apparent injury.
Hope he’s alright 🙏pic.twitter.com/8sEtFCcuXP
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 7, 2023
Davis is averaging 23.9 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks to start the season. He’s widely expected to be one of the leading candidates for Defensive Player of the Year, provided he can stay healthy and play over 65 games this season.
Anthony Davis Motivated To Play The Lakers’ Next Game
The Lakers will be laser-focused on their next game, which comes on Wednesday (8 November 2023) and pits the purple and gold franchise against the rising Houston Rockets. The Rockets are on a three-game win streak and will hope to pull off a statement win against the Lakers.
Davis has expressed his desire to play the next game, going so far as to say he’ll be ready to play, leaving no room for ambiguity.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll be ready to go Wednesday.”
Anthony Davis: "I'll be fine. I'll be ready to go Wednesday."
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) November 7, 2023
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham wasn’t as direct with his answer when asked about Davis’ health and status. It seems the Lakers coach may defer the decision of when AD needs to play to his medical team.
“I don’t have anything else. He’s in good spirits. We’ll let our medical team do what they need to do and have an answer at a later time.”
Darvin Ham on Anthony Davis: "I don't have anything else. He's in good spirits. We'll let our medical team do what they need to do and have an answer at a later time."
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) November 7, 2023
If the Lakers go into Houston without Anthony Davis, they will likely start Christian Wood against his former team. This will also give Jaxson Hayes some moments to shine, but we are still going to wait and see if AD plays.
Can The Lakers Succeed Without Davis?
We saw LeBron James play one of the best games of his season so far against the Heat, with two-way impact on the game. He was the catalyst behind the Lakers’ fourth-quarter run that saw them erase a 13-point deficit with suffocating defense, even without Davis on the court. LeBron was the voice leading that group and setting the tone defensively.
Despite that sort of performance, the Lakers fell to a one-point loss, which could be emblematic of many problems for the franchise. Their roster balance hasn’t worked out as well as they thought, with guard play still needing some reinforcements despite the team signing Gabe Vincent in the summer.
The Lakers have various players out with injuries right now, with Vincent, Davis, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, Taurean Prince, and more unavailable. The Lakers will need some players to be available by Wednesday, or the Lakers could fall to 3-5 to start the season.
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