the Lakers received a huge, huge blow as Anthony Davis was ruled out indefinitely. After undergoing further evaluation and being initially banned for at least a month, according to media, the Lakers provided a fairly nonspecific medical update on Friday, saying Davis had a “stress injury” to his right foot and would be out “indefinitely.” The team also added that “further updates will be provided as needed.”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski followed up shortly after with a report that Davis will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days and still hopes to avoid surgery, while Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported a similar re-evaluation schedule:
ESPN sources: The pain has eased over the past few days in Anthony Davis’ foot and he should rest it for another 7-10 days and have it reassessed and see if he can return to play. For the moment, it is hoped that a procedure can be avoided. https://t.co/4B2RXiAZTV
— Adrien Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 23, 2022
Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis (foot) will be re-evaluated around the two-week mark, league sources say @NBAonTNT, @Laundress report. If he heals properly, the hope is that he can step up his training en route to a comeback.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 23, 2022
Shams Charania of Athleticism Released a similar report, stating that his sources say Davis’ injury is a “stress reaction” and that there is hope that Davis can return at some point after this first month:
“Sources tell me it’s a stress reaction injury for Davis… the hope is that with rest, rehabilitation and the overall process, he can move on.”
NBA Insider @ShamsCharania reports on Anthony Davis’ foot injury and return schedule. pic.twitter.com/M11I0nakEh
– The Rally (@TheRally) December 23, 2022
Our very own Dr. Rajpal Brar explained what this injury could mean in his latest videosaying that “these are really wait-and-see wounds” that essentially can only heal with rest.
“Essentially, when bone is loaded at a higher rate than it’s being repaired, it can lead to changes in the bone that ultimately lead to a stress response, and then – if it’s not unloaded and managed appropriately – to a stress fracture,” Brar. “These low-level stress injuries can be difficult to see on X-rays or MRIs, which would explain why it took so long to get an injury update from AD.”
For Davis, this is the most brutal chance for injuries. The injury itself seemed to come from a fairly innocuous game.
Anthony Davis has a right foot injury on this play here
—Essentially the foot got stuck in the air and twisted as it grabbed Jokic’s leg pic.twitter.com/tmAbIIioBZ
—Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) December 17, 2022
After remaining so relatively injury-free through the first few weeks and months of the season, to suffer such a devastating injury in this way is cruel.
For the Lakers, it’s an equally devastating setback. With Davis playing at this level, the Lakers were getting back into shape and moving up the Western Conference standings to return to the playoffs. With him on the verge of potentially missing out on a good time, however, their path to discord is much darker with their current roster.
There is obviously the possibility of an exchange, but for a franchise that was already reluctant to move, a significant injury to AD probably does nothing to make them more willing to go all-in. Especially with it looks increasingly unlikely that they find a deal they like for Russell Westbrook and with Myles Turner – a player who could have replaced Davis if the Lakers had traded for him this offseason, something they were about to do – looking closer and closer to being off the table now that he has started extension talks with Indiana.
It’s all just been a hugely frustrating result for the Lakers and Davis in what’s becoming an all-too-familiar feeling. Hopefully he can return sooner rather than later, but given how wary these updates are, it’s hard to feel overly optimistic.
This breaking news will continue to be updated with more information as it develops. For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed at itunes, Spotify, embroiderer or Google Podcasts. You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
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