Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis has been cleared to enter the next phase of his “return to play process” and will be re-evaluated by team doctors in two weeks, the team announced on Friday.
Including Friday’s game against Indiana, Davis has missed the Lakers’ last 10 games with a right calf strain. The additional two weeks extends beyond the initial four-week timeline given by Lakers coach Frank Vogel for Davis’ re-evaluation.
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Why the additional two weeks?
Bill Oram, Lakers beat writer: For now we only have a brief statement to go on, so a lot of the details remain murky. But the Lakers originally projected four weeks until Davis would be back on the floor, so this new update pushes him at least a week past that. The statement said that Davis was “progressing,” so we should hold off before declaring this a setback. However, this update means he will miss at least eight more games after Friday, bringing his total tally of missed games to at least 19.
What this means for the Lakers
Oram: Well, the Lakers were 3-7 in the first 10 games without Davis, so you can do the math on what might happen in two more weeks and nine more games. Davis’ absence has highlighted the issues in the Lakers frontcourt, and with the continued absence of Marc Gasol due to health and safety protocols, the team has been forced to start Markieff Morris and Damian Jones, who is on his second 10-day contract. It also means that LeBron James has to carry this team, which is less than ideal for a 36-year-old superstar.
Can they get the top seed without him?
Oram: It was probably time to punt on any remaining dreams of finishing atop the Western Conference for a second straight year. As many games separated the Lakers from the 8-seed (four) as the No. 1 seed. They’re not at risk of falling out of the playoff picture — this is LeBron’s Lakers, after all — but Utah is outpacing an otherwise very crowded field in the West. Right now, it seems like everyone else is playing for second. James made the Finals in 2018 as a 4-seed in the West. As such, it’s unlikely the Lakers make the push for the No. 1 seed a primary focus.
(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today)