Anthony Davis finally announces his long-awaited return date
By Kristen Wong
Los Angeles Lakers’ big man Anthony Davis is expected to return very soon to the lineup following a right calf strain.
Good news in Laker Land: after 30 consecutive missed games, Davis plans to suit up in the purple and gold against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Anthony Davis says he will make his return tomorrow in Dallas, so long as he continues to feel well.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 21, 2021
The Lakers will continue monitoring Davis until Thursday before officially taking him off the injury report, but it looks like the big man will indeed return to the court. Lakers coach Frank Vogel said earlier this week Davis will probably only play around 15 minutes for at least his first two games back, but Lakers fans can finally breathe a little. The season is going to be okay.
Davis appeared in 23 games this season before suffering a calf strain and reaggravated Achilles injury in mid-February. The other notable absence, Lebron James, remains sidelined with his ankle sprain, but has reportedly started doing “on-court work.”
The Lakers have had no choice but to push through without Davis and James in the last stretch of the season, with Dennis Schroder leading the squad in scoring and new addition Andre Drummond making his trade worthwhile. So far, the Lakers have gone 14-15 since Davis was out, and now that he’s ready to play again, hopes are cautiously high.
Anthony Davis renews hope in imminent return to the Los Angeles Lakers
Davis’ return also raises the Lakers’ team morale, which naturally deflated with the absence of their star players. Lakers teammate Kyle Kuzma recently joked about Davis playing in the game against Dallas, “His ass better play,” but the crude and concise sentiment rings true.
The Lakers are currently fifth place in the Western Conference, and Davis could prevent Los Angeles from falling any further before playoffs. This season, Davis is averaging 22.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 29.3 percent from beyond the arc. Numbers aside, though, Davis’ mere presence ought to inspire a well-worn Los Angeles side that could technically afford to lose a few games (they’re currently two games ahead of the sixth-place Portland Trail Blazers) but still really shouldn’t.
Following Monday night’s blowout loss to the Utah Jazz, the Lakers want to get back into winning form as soon as possible. Davis is finally back (tell a friend), and he’s ready to help.