Getty Anthony Davis with LeBron James.
After many lackluster games, Anthony Davis is officially back. The Los Angeles Lakers star has had his worst season since he was a rookie and didn’t look very good when he returned from injury. Based on his recent play, it appears he’s back to superstar form. He scored 36 points against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday and followed that up with a 42 point performance against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
If Davis is back to form, the Lakers will be much more formidable. However, they aren’t winning the title if LeBron James doesn’t get back on the court soon. Fortunately, it sounds like he’s getting a lot better.
“What I seen from LeBron today … he’s … he’ll be fine,” Davis said after Sunday’s game. “Trust me. He’ll be fine.”
There’s been a lot of concern surrounding the superstar considering he’s 36-years-old and is clearly having trouble with this ankle injury. With the playoffs starting up very soon, Los Angeles needs their leader back on the court. If Davis is correct, LeBron should be back in action soon.
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LeBron to Return This Week: Report
Davis is as good a source on LeBron’s status as anyone but nobody has given a solid return date for the superstar. That changed on Monday morning as The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Lakers star could return on Tuesday versus the New York Knicks or Wednesday against the Houston Rockets.
Lakers star LeBron James is targeting Tuesday vs. New York for return to the lineup from sore right ankle, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. If not Tuesday, Wednesday vs. Houston is possible.
Those are two very winnable games for the Lakers that they need to win if they hope to stay out of the play-in tournament. There are only four games left in the season and Los Angeles needs to start building its chemistry back up. They just proved that they could beat a Suns team that is currently the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference without LeBron. This team still has a chance at winning the title if they can get and stay healthy.
KCP Is Confident in LeBron
During LeBron’s brief return from injury, he did not look like his normal self. He only averaged 17.5 points over a two-game stretch. That’s a bit concerning considering the team only has four games left to figure things out. That said, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope believes that the superstar is coming along just fine.
“I feel like he’ll be playoff-ready,” Caldwell-Pope said Sunday. “Just seeing his workouts, he’s really putting in that work getting himself back together 100%. He’s showing it in his workout. Going hard in drills, dunking the ball, so just seeing that we’re very excited.”
Though LeBron’s age is concerning, he’s shown no consistent signs of decline over the last two seasons. He’s missed a lot of time with injury so it’s suspected that he’ll struggle a bit at first. If Davis keeps playing at an elite level, that will make things significantly easier for LeBron. Until he can work off the rust, Davis is the Lakers’ most important player.
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