Getty Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
With four minutes remaining in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers game against the Phoenix Suns, Anthony Davis took a hard fall after attempting to dunk in traffic.
Speaking to the media following Los Angeles’ 105-115 loss to Phoenix, Davis gave a concerning update about the impact that fall had on his arm and the symptoms that followed his hard fall onto the parquet.
Anthony Davis talks about feeling numbness in his hand after falling awkwardly and Deandre Ayton’s “disrespectful” move that initiated the scuffle against the Suns.
“Like, it got numb, then it just start burning from like mid-bicep all the way down to my pinkie and ring finger. And then it just went numb and tingling where I couldn’t really feel anything. So, it’s really a thing where I should let the nerve calm down, well, I don’t have time to let the nerve calm down. I’ve hit my funny bone before, not to that magnitude, and it usually goes away in 30, 40 seconds, this one was a little different, can actually still feel it,” Davis said.
Luckily, Davis was able to remain in the game and managed to play through the numbness to give the Lakers a dominant performance. In 38 minutes of gameplay, Davis dropped 37 points, pulled down 21 rebounds, blocked five shots, garnered five steals, and dished out two assists while shooting 11-of-17 from the field.
The Lakers ‘Need’ Davis to be Dominant
In a November 22 episode of Heavy on Sports’ Postin’ Up with Keith Smith & Adam Taylor podcast, Anthony Davis’ recent performances became a discussion point, with Smith noting that the Lakers need their superstar forward to remain healthy long-term and continue to provide the level of dominance we’re currently seeing from him.
“Can AD hold up? Every time he starts to take on these massive usage roles, especially if he’s playing inside a lot, he gets hurt. It’s just what happens to him. You kind of take the good with the bad, you take these strong runs when you get them, but if you wanna be a really good team, you have to be conscious of ‘can he sustain this for more than a span of maybe a month or two at a time without suffering an injury’…The Lakers need him to be this guy,” Smith said.
Davis has only missed one of the Lakers first 16 games this season, so hopefully, the dominant big man can remain healthy and continue to state his case for being classed as one of the best players the NBA currently has to offer.
Darvin Ham Wants Davis to Take Over LeBron’s Role
When the Lakers originally traded for Davis, the common consensus was that eventually LeBron James would slide into a secondary role, allowing Davis to be the team’s leading star while also helping LeBron add some additional years to his career.
It would seem that Darvin Ham would like to see that transition start to happen this season, especially with how well Davis is playing at the moment.
“He’s been a big force for us all year and tonight was no different,” Darvin Ham on AD’s performance (38 PTS, 16 REB, 4 BLK) in the #Lakers win over the Pistons.
“He’s been a big force for us all year, and tonight was no different…I think it’s extremely important (Davis remaining aggressive), I mean, just trying to sustain Bron when he comes back, being efficient with his minutes and efficient with his wear and tear. AD has to be the leading force, the leading charge, in terms of how we want to play inside-outside basketball, pressure on the rim, pressure in the paint constantly,” Ham said on November 18.
It will be interesting to see if LeBron is willing to take a step back in the Lakers hierarchy, at least on the court, or whether he will continue to operate as the team’s primary scoring option when healthy. The Lakers will be back in action on November 25, when they face off against the 6-12 San Antonio Spurs.