When Lakers star Anthony Davis went down with his latest injury, many fans and experts immediately chalked this season as a lost cause.
If the team started 2-10 with him on the floor, how could they possibly hope to compete at a high level with him sidelined for weeks or even months?
It’s an unfortunate situation for the Lakers right now, and for Davis, but there may be a silver lining in all of this. As Dr. Rajpal Brar explained on Twitter, Davis’ latest injury update (listed as a stress fracture in his foot) isn’t actually bad news at all. Here’s why:
Assuming bone stress injury (BSI), they exist on a spectrum (see table). Essentially means bone is being loaded > repairing = changes in bone. “Stress reaction” precursor to stress fracture when not managed. Have to see how it heals & go from there. Hence indefinite timeline.
This is good news overall. It’s an overload injury. Hence you reduce that load, re-evaluate based after a set period of time and then go from there. Makes sense why nothing showed up on imaging.
This is good news overall. It’s an overload injury. Hence you reduce that load, re-evaluate based after a set period of time and then go from there. Makes sense why nothing showed up on imaging.
— Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT (@3cbPerformance) December 23, 2022
So, Davis will not need surgery or any kind of advanced treatment on his foot. All Davis can do to help his recovery is rest and wait for his body to heal. That could take days weeks, or even months at this point and it’s time the Lakers don’t have right now.
Will The Lakers Be Buyers At The Trade Deadline?
Amid the injury to Davis, there is a sense that the Lakers could make a trade to keep their season alive while he sits. But with so few assets to work with, and no clear avenues to become a title contender overnight, there’s a very real possibility that the Lakers don’t make any moves at all before the summer.
There are several factors the Lakers are currently weighing: Davis’ injury and timeline; the contract lengths of potential trade targets; the timing of the trade market; the value of their first-round picks; and the team’s ceiling, both in the short and long term.
Davis’ injury has increased the probability that the only move the Lakers make is a smaller trade featuring, at most, one first-round pick, sources with knowledge of the Lakers’ plans told The Athletic. The one exception is if a star that can grow alongside Davis over the next few years becomes available.
LeBron James has been on fire over the past handful of games and he’s doing what he can to steal some wins for his team. Sadly, not even the presence of LeBron James is good enough to mask the stench of the roster.
Hopefully, Davis is able to come back soon and give this Lakers crew some much-needed firepower before things get too far out of hand.
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