How an injury to Anthony Davis might’ve derailed the Los Angeles Lakers’ entire season.
At the start of the season, despite the shortened offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers looked on the fast track of winning back-to-back NBA championships. However, a few factors have emerged that could prevent the Lakers from a cakewalk to a second NBA championship in two years.
First, there has been the play of the Utah Jazz, who are on pace to have a historic season and enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Second, there was the Brooklyn Nets acquiring James Harden to make arguably the most offensively talented big three of all-time.
Third, was an injury to all-pro Anthony Davis.
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Since AD’s injury, the Lakers have lost five of their last six games.
Last week it was announced that Davis will miss at least four weeks and possibly more. Davis suffered a calf strain and aggravated the Achilles tendinosis in his right leg on Feb 14. Since his injury, the Lakers have been a far cry from the team that was dominating the Western Conference at the start of the season.
They’ve dropped from being on pace with the Jazz at the top of the conference to third and just one game ahead of the Phoenix Suns for the fourth seed.
The worst part about LA’s recent slide is that Davis is set to miss at least two more weeks and possibly more. The hope is that AD can return to the lineup after the makeshift all-star break but that’s no guarantee. Especially with the assumption that the Lakers won’t rush AD back.
It’s hard to predict where the Lakers will be in the West standings when AD makes his return and is back to playing at a high level but, with the way the Lakers are playing at the moment, it’s safe to assume that they could be out of the race for the top seed in the conference.
The Los Angeles Lakers are struggling, mightily, without Anthony Davis
In the six games without AD, the Lakers have the third-worst offense, an average defense, and fifth-worst net rating in the league. In short, the Lakers have been bad. Their only win over the last six games came against the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves.
The big question that needs to be asked, especially in a 72-game season, is whether this injury to AD will be enough to derail the season for the Lakers. It’s not just the 2-3 more weeks that AD will be out, but also the time that he’ll need to get back into basketball shape and in rhythm with the team.
A big part of the Lakers’ playoff success in the restart bubble was based on the fact that the team didn’t have to face any of their biggest threats to a championship. In the first round, they played an overmatched Portland Trail Blazers team. In the second round, they played a Houston Rockets team that was in disarray. In the Western Conference Finals, they played a Denver Nuggets team that was in over their head. In the NBA Finals, they played an upstart Miami Heat team that was well ahead of schedule.
Entering the playoffs as a three or four seed in the West won’t give this version of the Lakers that same luxury. At this pace, there’s a scenario in which the Lakers would have to face the upstart Suns in the first round, the Jazz in the second round, the LA Clippers in the conference finals, and then the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA Finals.
As over-reactionary as it may sound, this recent injury to Anthony Davis may be enough to derail the Los Angeles Lakers’ entire season. Even more so if there are any setbacks over the next couple of weeks.