Anthony Davis gave the Los Angeles Lakers a scare with a hard tumble to the floor against the Clippers but he doesn’t expect to miss any time.
Davis has been troubled by injuries in his career, particularly with the Lakers, which makes every bump, bruise, and tumble a little more concerning than normal.
When Davis went down against the Clippers, he appeared to head back to the locker room after briefly staying in the game, albeit visibly compromised. Davis clarified after the game that it was just to stay loose.
“I just didn’t want to sit down and let it stiffen up,” Davis said postgame. “I just went in the tunnel, tried to stay loose until I got called to go back in the game.”
The injury had its effects on Davis but he doesn’t feel like his status against the Trail Blazers on Sunday is in jeopardy.
“I’ll be alright,” Davis told reporters. “We got two days between games, so whatever I gotta do to get it right for Sunday, it’s an early game too so we’ll see how it is, but pretty sure I’ll be alright.”
Davis is off to a solid start to the season, averaging 26 points and 7 rebounds through two games. He’s also managed five steals — four of those coming against the Warriors in the opener.
Davis’ Goal is the Play in Every Game This Season
Davis has never played in every game in his 10 seasons and has missed significant chunks of time in his last two. He’s appeared in just 76 games in the last two seasons combined and has stated his goal this year is to be available for the Lakers in every matchup.
“As much as I can, play all 82 [games], and then get back to the level of basketball that I know I’m capable of playing which is being elite and dominant,” Davis said told Spectrum Sports.
Davis dealt with a series of lower-body issues over the last two years, which includes a calf strain, Achilles tendonosis, a groin injury, a sprained MCL and a sprained foot. He also revealed that a wrist injury limited him last season.
“Last season, I had two injuries that you can’t really control. I mean, a guy fell into my knee, landed on the foot,” Davis said. “And the good thing for me is that the doctors after they looked at us, they could have been, like 10 times worse.”
Davis has been dubbed “street clothes” by Hall of Famer/TNT analyst Charles Barkley. It’s a nickname Davis has been able to block out.
“I don’t care what he says,” Davis said, via The Los Angeles Times. “People say stuff for ratings. Like, they got to push their show, push their blog, push their podcast, whatever it is. So, people got to say something to bring in viewers. It is what it is. I go out there and play basketball and let them do their job. My job is to hoop. Their job is to talk about me.”
Davis Expected to See More Time at Center
Davis has been the team’s starting center for the first two games of the season, which is a move he has pushed back against previously. Prior to the start of the year, Davis made it clear he wasn’t fully convinced with the idea but would push forward if need be.
“I trust coach’s decision. I mean, I’m pretty sure he heard AD wants to play the 4, so he knows where I stand,” Davis said, “but at the end of the day, I want to win, so if that’s me playing the 5, that’s what it’s got to be.”
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Lakers Star Anthony Davis Sends Message on Latest Injury Issue