The moment Anthony Davis held his stomach and exited the game against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Laker Nation grew anxious. An abdominal strain ruled him out for the rest of the game. However, the growing fear was the possibility of a major injury. The dominant forward went through an MRI recently, and luckily it didn’t show any severe damage. However, there are still consequences.

According to Dave McMenamin, the nine-time All-Star’s MRI diagnosis did confirm an “abdominal muscle strain”. As a result, Davis has returned back to Los Angeles pending reevaluation after a week. The injury has ruled him out of the entire three-game road trip that remains for the Lakers.

And well, coping won’t be easy.

Anthony Davis was coming off two destructive performances and was the key behind the Lakers’ four-game winning streak prior to tonight’s results. The three remaining games do include some tough matchups for the Purple and Gold. Following a trip to Washington, they take on the New York Knicks, where Karl-Anthony Towns has transformed into a brute center.

Later, they will play at the Intuit Dome for the second game of the LA rivalry. With Kawhi Leonard back and beginning to gradually ramp up his minutes, the Lakers will need to be spotless in the forthcoming three games on the road.

How do the Lakers adjust without Anthony Davis?

With Davis out, it leaves a massive scoring void that needs to be filled up. Luckily, in the only three games AD has missed, LeBron James has dialed up his output. Even tonight, upon his abrupt exit, the King dropped 31 points and nine assists. In the three full games without The Brow, he is averaging 35.3 points and 7.3 assists per game and shooting 63% from three-point range.

However, James can’t individually make up for Davis’ production. In concern to scoring the ball, the likes of Austin Reaves and even Rui Hachimura will have to make significant contributions in the three games that they will be without their anchor. In addition, Dalton Knecht could also see an extended role owing to his three-point shooting prowess.

The bigger question though is how do the Lakers replace his presence? With the lack of a true center, one that Anthony Davis has now publicly asked for, the Purple and Gold drastically lack a big body that can survey the paint in a manner AD can. They are severely weak when it comes to rebounding the ball in the absence of Davis.

Jaxson Hayes will probably get the starting nod with Davis out for at least another week. In addition, JJ Redick could also look to play small by having Dorian Finney-Smith or Jared Vanderbilt play center. Although, it’s unlikely for the latter due to his recent return from a long-term injury.

Without Anthony Davis, a herculean task awaits the Lakers. The room for error is much finer than with him. In addition, they will need to play with tremendous energy and determination to a beatdown in case they lose the rebounding battle. The injury comes at the wrong time for the Lakers who were looking terrific since the return of Vanderbilt.

But with Anthony Davis out, this could be an opportunity for the rest of the players to uplift their confidence and showcase their skills.