Anthony Davis stated before the season that one of his goals was to stay on the court for all 82 games but he has already fallen short in that quest. AD has been dealing with some back problems since preseason and it doesn’t look like it has gotten much better for him as time has gone by.
He was out for their game against the Timberwolves due to lower back tightness and without him, the Lakers couldn’t handle Minnesota’s Twin Towers in Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. Davis willed himself to get back for their next game against the Nuggets and to his credit, played well as the Lakers got their first win.
Anthony Davis Admits He Is Playing Through A Lot Of Pain
Davis recorded 23 points to go with a game-high 15 rebounds and said after the game that they really needed this win. The game was really full of positives for LA, as Russell Westbrook also flourished in his role off the bench, but after the game, AD gave some news that would worry Lakers fans.
(starts at 6:15 mark):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDV499iis7Q
“A pretty good amount. As you saw on that putback, it kind of just comes and goes, these little shocks that go. But at that point, you’re playing off adrenaline and so I know tonight, maybe into tomorrow, I’m probably gonna feel it more. But this is all manageable. Just trying to do what I can to make sure I’m on the floor to help the team.”
People make jokes about AD and his availability all the time but it is really sad to see what he is going through with these injury problems. He says it is manageable but it was serious enough to miss a game and back issues like this don’t get any better when you consider the physical toll that these big men have to endure.
Head coach Darvin Ham praised AD for playing through the injury, but for him to have to do this so early on in the season, is concerning. Davis is quite likely to miss a decent amount of games this season as well and while the injury issues are bad enough, they also stop him from getting into any kind of rhythm as he desperately looks to get back to being the player he was in 2020.
