Getty Images Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers will be without Anthony Davis for at least the next month, but the big man appears to be in good spirits despite his latest injury.
Davis spoke to the media for the first time since it was announced that he had suffered a left knee sprain, which will keep him in street clothes for at least the next month. The silver-lining? Davis avoided needing any kind of surgery to repair the knee, which has given him discomfort in recent weeks, even before being slid into by a Timberwolves player on Friday.
“Got good news that I avoided surgery, that’s good news but it still sucks that I’m gonna be out for some weeks, try and get this right,” Davis told reporters on Sunday, December 19.
Davis had exited the game against the Timberwolves earlier with an ankle injury and got hurt on what was a freak play when he returned. While looking for a path to the hoop, LeBron James pushed off Jaden McDaniels, who slid directly into Davis’ leg. He hobbled off the court and it didn’t look too bad until he collapsed in the tunnel on his way to the locker room.
“The pressure from one end of the court to the other, it reached a point where like, it was tough to walk. I had to take a break. Like I said the first thing, I did hear something pop and the first thing I thought of was, you know, that (a torn ACL). I thanked God it wasn’t that. I just needed to, my leg was bothering me, I just had to drop and take that pressure off of it.”
Davis Hopes to Get Better Physically and Mentally
Taking some time away might not be the worst thing for Davis, who has had an uneven start to the year. While he’s putting up nearly a double-double average with 23.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, he hasn’t shown that top-tier talent we’ve grown accustomed to over the years.
Davis is going to use the time away as a reset of sorts as he gets right for his eventual return.
“With anything with me, even last year, just trying to attack the rehab and get back on the floor as soon as possible,” Davis said. “Obviously, this won’t be as long as last year — I missed 12 weeks with that. But just thinking to myself that this is another journey of, being able to, mind, body, being able to (get) right. Kind of like a mini-summer, kind of how I treated it last year. Like a little mini-summer within the season to be able to get all the way right. So, use this time to try to get all the way healthy and come back than I was.”
Lakers Stars Providing Support for Davis
Luckily for Davis, he has a good support system on the Lakers and a solid bond with his co-stars LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, who are trying to provide the big man with as much support as he works his way back.
“It’s tough anytime you see somebody go down and they have to miss some time, especially from the game that they love to play. It’s tough,” Davis told reporters. “I’ve been there and I understand just the emotional state. Just try to keep uplifting him, staying positive, talking to him. Making sure he’s trying to win each day so he can get back healthy.”
The Lakers went 1-2 on their most recent road trip and now return to Los Angeles for a three-game homestand. That includes a Christmas Day matchup with Brooklyn and a rematch with the Phoenix Suns, who bounced them from the postseason last year.