Anthony Davis has been criticized for his inability to stay healthy. Unfortunately, injuries play a major role in a player’s longevity. The more a player gets injured, the higher the of him facing an early retirement. There have been several cases in the NBA that have resulted in early retirements. For example, Derrick Rose’s struggles with leg injuries. Even though he’s still active, things have not been the same for the MVP after he tore his ACL in 2012.
Similarly, LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard has not been available for long stretches of games ever since his 2021 ACL tear. Luckily, the Los Angeles Lakers All-Star has been far from career-ending disasters. During his time in New Orleans, Davis was comparatively healthier than he is in LA. His recovery periods with the Pelicans never exceeded more than 15 games. However, his current injury-prone nature might have something to do with age.
Anthony Davis has played 660 regular season games throughout his career as of 2023. He has played 11 seasons in the NBA which totals up to 902 games. AD has faced a few setbacks due to illnesses as well. And he missed some games because of the rest days allotted by the training staff. However, solely because of injuries, the former NBA Champion has missed between 160 to 180 games in his career.
What was Anthony Davis’ worst injury?
As mentioned earlier, while Anthony Davis was with the New Orleans Pelicans, his physical health was very well taken care of. However, things began to take a turn for the worse immediately after winning the NBA title in 2020. During his first year with the Lakers, Davis only missed five games due to injuries. The following season was his worst.
During the 2020-2021 campaign, the Lakers witnessed one of their worst seasons ever. They fell short of title contention after being knocked off by the Phoenix Suns in round one of the playoffs. Unfortunately, Davis was barely present during that season as he only appeared for 36 games before enduring an Achilles injury.
This was the most time he had spent away from the court and the Lakers were skeptical of putting him on the roster for the playoffs that season. LA desperately needed him around but they simply couldn’t risk it.
His second-longest injury stint happened during the 2022-23 season. He faced a right foot injury that sidelined him for 20 games. It is quite concerning how often he gets injured, especially for the Lakers team. His absence becomes detrimental to the team as they always spiral onto a losing path.
