Anthony Davis has been out since 17th December. He suffered an MCL sprain on his left knee against the Timberwolves. Since then he was reported to be out for at least a month.
Thus, it has been after a month and the Lakers are listing him as a game-time decision. As reported by Lakers Head Coach Frank Vogel, Anthony Davis was cleared for contact sport and even played without his knee brace.
This is a great sign for the Lakers. AD has always been injury prone and his return on the scheduled timetable shows a positive sign.
Anthony Davis update: Lakers say he will be a gametime decision in Miami and officially listed as questionable. He has missed last 16 games with MCL strain.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) January 22, 2022
However, Davis’s injury was having a sub-par season. Even though stats were along the lines of a star but a player like AD has to be in the conversation among the best players in the NBA.
Anthony Davis was averaging 23 points and close to 10 rebounds per game. However, his shooting was so bad that he was among the bottom of the qualified shooters in terms of percentage.
The most surprising part of his game was his free throws. Davis has always been automatic from the line but this season his free throw shooting has plummeted down to 72%.
Even though AD has never been a great downtown shooter, it was never a liability. For a big man AD was a good shooter from 3 point line, however, this year his shooting from behind the arc is just 17%.
Will Anthony Davis return revive the Lakers?
Despite all the bad performances, AD is still a top 10 player in the league. He is the key to the Lakers’ small-ball lineup. The No.3 has always been a great rim protector and a great defender.
He will obviously ante up the Lakers’ defense and his ability to stretch the floor will allow Russ and Bron to attack the paint more. His shifting at the center will allow LeBron to move at the Power Forward position. This creates havoc on defense and offense.
The Lakers are right now at a 7th seed team with a record of 23-23. They have been inconsistent the whole year and their inability to trade Russell Westbrook means that all their hopes depend on AD returning fully healthy, staying healthy, and ball at the top of his form.
