The injury is an unfortunate setback for a player with a history of injuries who’s been playing perhaps the best basketball of his career.
Los Angeles (12-16, 12th in Western Conference) defeated Denver (17-11, third in Western Conference) 126-108 on Friday. Davis left before halftime and didn’t return.
Over the past month, Davis played at a level expected of him when he forced his way to Los Angeles in 2019.
He was instrumental in the team’s NBA championship that season but his reputation as being injury-prone has come true in Los Angeles as often as it did in New Orleans.
As great as Davis is, it’s impossible to tell the story of his NBA career without mentioning his consistent issues with staying healthy.
During the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, Davis missed more games (78) than he played (76). He’s only played in more than 70 games in a season twice during his 11-year career.
The Lakers traded away most of its depth to acquire both Davis and point guard Russell Westbrook in separate deals, leaving the team with few legitimate options to keep the team afloat with a Davis injury.
LeBron James can only do so much with a roster populated with players on minimum contracts.
Through 25 games, Davis is averaging 27.4 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks a game on a career-best 59.3 shooting percentage.
Over the past month, Davis played in 13 games and averaged 30.3 points and 12.9 rebounds.
After the team’s dismal 2-10 record through the season’s first 12 games, Davis gave the organization optimism the team could do the unthinkable and climb back into contention with his excellent stretch of performances. His extended absence will dampen those aspirations.
Davis, 29, likely has only a few more seasons playing at an elite level. Bigs in the NBA don’t normally have long careers, and Davis’s history doesn’t give us much confidence that he’ll get any luckier at avoiding injuries as he gets older.
Los Angeles hopes that when Davis returns, he plays at the level he did before his latest setback. If he does, the Lakers would be wise to enjoy it. It won’t stay around for long.
