Much to the happiness of the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans, Anthony Davis finally made his long-awaited return to the court on Wednesday night. Davis had been on the sidelines since suffering a foot injury against the Denver Nuggets in mid-December and missed a total of 20 games.
He had a slow start against the San Antonio Spurs on his return, as you might imagine but got going after the first quarter and finished with an impressive stat line of 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks in just over 26 minutes. The Lakers came away with a 113-104 win thanks, in part, to his efforts and after the game, Davis spoke on finally getting back on the court.
"It was a long 5 1/2 weeks. Feels good to come back, get a win and ultimately just be back on the floor with these guys." @LakersReporter caught up with @AntDavis23 following his 21-point performance against the Spurs. pic.twitter.com/vquBFhzPO9
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 26, 2023
“I feel great. I feel good on the floor, my foot feels fine, good to be out there with the guys battling. It was good because it was a close game, and we really had to battle till the last maybe 4-5 minutes. So, it was a good test for me going into this road trip and overall I am happy to be back on the court with these guys battling. It was a long 5 1/2 weeks so feels good to come back and get the win and it helps me just to be back on the court with these guys supporting.”
His mental state while recovering from the injury:
“Just being in the locker room with these guys, being on the road, them guys coming on off days to watch me play pickup, knowing they got my back. It was a long five weeks, but it was also a quick five weeks. We got a supporting cast like this, we’re staying together, we’re a very tight-knit group, and I am just happy to be back on the floor. These guys had my back, been in the corner, the coaching staff (and) organization, so whatever I needed to make this rehab happen pretty quickly, they gave me. It was a real good rehab and (I’m) able to come back (and) feel good on the court.”
On getting going after a slow start:
“Anytime you come back, that first game or first practice whatever, you always kind of tender. You want to test it out see how it feels like you say in live action. You can kind of test it out during pickups and things like that but in the real game where it matters where you don’t know what the other guys are doing, that’s the ultimate test. That first like 30 seconds to a minute I just wanted to see was I feeling anything or was anything going to flare up. Once I didn’t feel anything, my mind was like alright it’s time to go and that’s when I was able to play my game.”
The Lakers will be praying that Davis stays upright for the rest of the season. He will not only help ease the load on LeBron James on the offensive end, but he also takes their defense to a whole other level. As per StatMuse, the Lakers’ defensive rating with Davis is 111.7, which would rank in the top 5, but without him, it is 119.1, which would rank in the bottom 3.
Shannon Sharpe Isn’t High On The Lakers Even With Anthony Davis
Shannon Sharpe is one of the biggest LeBron fans on sports television, and so he is a Lakers fan too. While a lot of them would be of the opinion that the Lakers have a decent chance of winning it all if Davis is healthy, Sharpe doesn’t think that is the case.
He said that the Lakers only have a 5% chance of winning the championship, provided AD plays at the level he did before his injury. That might well be fair, considering this roster still has some holes to fill. GM Rob Pelinka did say they aren’t done making trades, and if they do get in the right players, the Lakers might have a serious shot at winning it all.
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