The Lakers gave a non-update update on the status of Anthony Davis Friday, saying he remains out indefinitely. Which is what they said before. Here is the full release from the Lakers:
“After extensive consultation with Lakers team physicians and outside specialists, it has been determined that Anthony Davis has a stress injury in his right foot. Davis will be out indefinitely. Further updates will be provided when appropriate.”
The only new information is that this is a “stress injury,” but without more details — specifically where in the foot the injury is located — it’s hard to make any prediction on his return (which sources told NBC Sports previously would be a month or more). From Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes.
Stress injuries in the foot are relatively common in the NBA though knowing the exact bone would help establish a timeline. Metatarsal involvement is the most likely scenario though an injury to the bones of the midfoot remains a possibility.
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) December 23, 2022
The Lakers and Davis will remain cautious on the injury, but there’s hope that there could be a pathway to resuming play sometime shortly after the re-evaluation in early January...
Sources told Wojnarowski that the pain in Davis’ right foot has subsided in the past several days and he’s expected to rest it for another seven to 10 days. He’ll then have it reevaluated for a possible return to play.
That return would involve a slow ramp-up. Davis appeared to injure his foot in the first quarter against Denver last week, and he has been out the four games since.
Anthony Davis scored 10 PTS in 17 MINS before leaving the game with a right foot injury. pic.twitter.com/cIa4ivrFYw
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) December 17, 2022
Davis had been playing the best basketball of his career this season, averaging 27.4 points and 12.1 rebounds, and 2.1 blocked shots per game. He has been the best Laker player and has been in early All-NBA and even MVP conversations, and he had sparked a 10-6 Lakers run in weeks before his current injury.
The specter of a potential Davis injury always seemed to hang over the team like a dark cloud. Davis missed more than half of Los Angeles’ games due to various injuries over the previous two seasons.
The injury also clouds what the Lakers might do at the trade deadline — as they fall farther out of the playoff picture without Davis, the Lakers are likely thinking small at the deadline, saving any big moves for next summer.