It has been a month since Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis was last seen on the court. In the Lakers' 110-92 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Davis suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee that forced him to miss plenty of games. Since losing Davis to an injury, it became harder for the Lakers to consistently win games.
As of now, they are tied with the Timberwolves at the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference with a 22-22 record.
Luckily for the Lakers, it would only be a matter of time before they have their second-best player on the court again. In a recent article, Brad Turner and Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times shared some positive news regarding Davis' rehabilitation.
"Lakers star Anthony Davis has been cleared by team doctors to begin on-court, full-contact workouts, a crucial step in his return from a sprained left knee that has sidelined him for the last month," the report reads. "Davis underwent an evaluation Monday with doctors determining that recent tests showed no damage."
After the Lakers' 101-95 victory over the Jazz on Monday night, Coach Frank Vogel also gave some updates about Davis' injury. Though he hasn't shown any setback in his injury, Vogel said that Davis would still need to undergo "reconditioning and ramp-up of work." As of now, Vogel couldn't give a specific date regarding when Davis will return in the 2021-22 NBA season.
However, according to a source who spoke to the Los Angeles Times, there's a growing optimism inside the Lakers' organization that Davis could rejoin the team in their upcoming six-game road trip.
After being haunted by multiple injuries earlier in the 2021-22 NBA season, Vogel was left with no choice but to make numerous lineup experiments, including playing LeBron James at the center. Vogel believes that when Davis officially returns from an injury, the Lakers could finally have their own "identity" this season.
“Well I think we have an idea of what we’re gonna look like when Anthony comes back, we just haven’t seen it all together over any type of long stretch," Vogel said, via Lakers Nation.
Davis may have gone through plenty of ups and downs earlier in the 2021-22 NBA season, but the Lakers have definitely missed his presence on the court. After losing Davis to an injury, the Lakers struggled on both ends of the floor. As of now, they are only ranked 22nd in offensive efficiency, scoring 106.6 points per 100 possessions, and 15th in defensive efficiency, allowing 107.4 points per 100 possessions, per ESPN.
The return of Davis is expected to boost the Lakers' offense and defense and helped them climb back to the top of the Western Conference standings.
