The injury bug has caught up with Anthony Davis once again.
Davis is back on the injury report with a right calf strain that will keep the Los Angeles Lakers’ star power forward out for at least two to three weeks, at which point he will be re-evaluated, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
This means that Davis will be out until at least the NBA All-Star Break from March 5th to 10th, though there is no guarantee that Davis will return right after that window. With the Lakers’ comfortable spot in the upper tier of the standings, the team could elect to go the safe route and keep Davis out for even longer and allow him to give that important lower leg/Achilles area enough time to properly rest and heal.
An MRI done on Monday showed that while there was still tendonosis in the Achilles and a strain in the calf, the Achilles was not ruptured, sources told ESPN, which was surely a huge relief for both player and team.
The Brow had missed a pair of games last week with tendonosis in his right Achilles tendon and was forced to leave his second back, a Sunday loss to the Denver Nuggets, midway through after aggravating the issue.
It appeared that the aggravation occurred late in the second quarter of that 122-105 loss. With 2:39 left in the first half and the Lakers down just seven, Davis drove on Nikola Jokic and was fouled as he caught the Joker’s knee in his quad. Davis’ foot plant after the foul seemed to be what caused the discomfort in his lower leg.
The Chicago native stayed in and hit both of his free throws before exiting with 2:36 left in the half and limping off into the tunnel towards the locker room.
What is somewhat worrying is that Davis had been experiencing pain in his lower right leg for some time, even undergoing an ultrasound on the area last weekend, which confirmed the tendonosis.
Considering the great players that have recently missed a season or more with Achilles injuries (DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson) and Davis’ checkered past when it comes to injuries, it’s not surprise that the Lakers’ are already being vocal about how safe they’re going to play it with their prized power forward.
Before the MRI was even conducted on the Kentucky alumnus, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, were both on the same page as they discussed taking their time and not rushing the 27-year-old back before he’s ready, sources told ESPN.
We would expect Davis’ return to come no earlier than late-March or early-April based on the type of injury and the history of the player concerned. This doesn’t mean you should be fading the Lakers on a nightly basis, however. They are -6.5 favorites at -108 NBA odds against the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves and are expected to cover that spread comfortably even in Davis’ absence.
