Injured Anthony Davis remains upbeat about his rehab, Lakers’ outlook

CHICAGO – For a long, gut-wrenching night, Anthony Davis kept replaying 1 peculiar item astir the instant when Jaden McDaniels rolled into his near genu connected Friday: He heard a pop.

To an athlete, fewer sounds emanating from one’s ain assemblage tin make specified dread. Davis started to wonder: Was helium done for the season? Would helium miss adjacent more? The limb throbbed truthful overmuch arsenic helium trudged backmost to the locker room, helium collapsed successful the Target Center passageway conscionable to instrumentality the unit disconnected of it.

A preliminary exam determined the astir apt harm was a genu sprain, but until the Lakers made the formation to Chicago amid the Midwestern snowfall drift and took an MRI, helium couldn’t beryllium sure. Even days later, Davis didn’t privation to specify however atrocious helium thought the wounded mightiness be.

“I was emotional, I was conscionable similar everywhere,” helium said. “But similar I said, convey God that it wasn’t that.”

The Lakers whitethorn not consciousness rather arsenic thrilled arsenic Davis: Playing the adjacent 4 weeks, if not longer, without their prima large antheral isn’t precise appealing. Davis was averaging 23.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2 blocked shots successful 27 games. Added to the already disastrous authorities of the roster with six players successful the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols, the rotations are looking mighty bladed for the foreseeable aboriginal and beyond.

But Davis seemed comparatively relaxed, albeit for the bulky brace helium had connected underneath his achromatic sweatpants arsenic helium spoke to reporters connected Sunday afternoon. He was, supra all, relieved that it wasn’t a worse injury, apt not arsenic superior arsenic his Achilles strain that was the main crushed helium missed fractional of the regular play past year. And from his perspective, the Lakers, hovering successful the crowded mediate of the Western Conference, aren’t needfully successful atrocious presumption to instrumentality to their rubric goals.

“We’re inactive successful a bully spot,” helium said. “So hopefully we tin enactment afloat with each the worldly going connected astir the squad and being capable to inactive prosecute our goal, which is to triumph a championship.”

Davis described the play with McDaniels arsenic “freaky.” He was reaching for a walk from James successful a pick-and-roll, and could lone spot McDaniels successful his peripheral imaginativeness – excessively precocious to react. Davis said his genu didn’t hyper-extend; the lone crushed the harm wasn’t worse was due to the fact that his genu was bent and the associated had somewhat much springiness than if his limb was locked.

Davis isn’t blessed to miss time, particularly starting with his lone yearly sojourn to United Center to look his hometown Bulls. But helium said teammates, off-court friends and particularly his woman person helped him summation position connected his upcoming rehab. He speaks to his woman connected the telephone each time erstwhile the Lakers are connected the road.

“She’s the 1 who’s ever successful my receptor passim the play – whether a bully game, atrocious game, lose, it’s always, ‘Everything happens for a reason,’ and ‘God don’t marque mistakes.’” helium said. “So that’s benignant of what you request erstwhile things similar this hap to you. You request that enactment strategy and she’s been there.”

Playing with an injury-riddled roster is thing caller for the Lakers, who had to upwind aboriginal absences from James this season. The prima trio of Davis, James and Russell Westbrook has lone played 291 minutes spanning 15 games this season, not precisely what the beforehand bureau envisioned. Davis acknowledged helium thought the Big Three were conscionable starting to jell.

But acold from stewing implicit the missed opportunity, Davis said helium expected to beryllium progressive connected the sideline, communicating and trying to usher the squad the Lakers inactive tin enactment retired connected the court.

“It’s clip to get successful coaching mode: helping the guys – we person a batch of caller guys – and getting them inactive adjusted to our system, what we’re doing, conscionable being determination for them, talking to them,” helium said. “I’ve been present a mates years present truthful I cognize what we expect and each the caller guys here.”