Is Anthony Davis all right? That’s the ONLY question on the minds of Lakers fans. The matchup at the Crypto.com Arena rolled in unexpected after unexpected moments. Despite carrying an injury-prone reputation, Bron’s scoring partner seemed quite safe this ongoing season. That is until he was hit in the eye after he attempted to block the Raptors’ Center, Jakob Poeltl, at the rim. As people awaited an update on the player’s condition, JJ Redick didn’t waste time in taking up the responsibility of keeping everyone informed.
During the post-game presser, it didn’t take long for Anthony Davis’ injury query to come up. JJ Redick revealed, “I just know that he got poked in it. He was having trouble seeing, you know, obviously. Taking a little trauma to the eye, it takes a little bit of time to sort of get to your…. clear vision back. But, other than that, no update.”
The fact that Anthony Davis got hit in the left eye is a cause for worry. After all, it is the same one in which AD had sustained a corneal abrasion, back in March. That had also happened after an unexpected collision when going up against the Warriors. Fortunately, the ailment wasn’t serious back then, and the hoopster returned to the court for the next game. Therefore, many still hope for a repeat of the miracle this time, too. Unfortunately, however, one wouldn’t know until an official update is provided.
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According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, sources reveal that the 31-year-old Center has developed a swelling because of the unexpected contact. It was difficult for him to even open his eyes. In light of this, they’ve decided to have the eye examined by an ophthalmologist on Monday, most likely as a “precautionary” measure, we hope.
Fortunately, the LA franchise doesn’t have their next game until Wednesday, when they will take on the Grizzlies. With a 7-4 win record, Ja Morant and Co. can prove to be a tough competitor for the Lakers. Therefore, if Anthony Davis ends up getting sidelined for the foreseeable future, JJ Redick will have to make some changes quickly.
Anthony Davis’s absence may see LeBron James and Jaxson Hayes gaining more responsibility: “It requires more from everyone else”
While Anthony Davis may have not sustained any other injury this season, he did carry one from the previous campaign. AD’s Plantar Fasciitis ailment has been bothering him since the summer. It also caused him to miss a game this season. Fortunately, Jaxson Hayes was there to fill in. He scored 8 points, along with 10 rebounds and 1 assist, during the previous Grizzlies game. Hayes’ presence was something that JJ Redick appreciated at that moment.
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Is Anthony Davis' injury a sign of bad luck, or is he just too injury-prone?
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“It requires more from everyone else,” explained the Lakers head coach. “Jaxson stepped up to that moment, played both ends of the court and gave us a few extra possessions. Just his energy, I thought, really uplifted the group.”
Meanwhile, LeBron James has already volunteered to take up some of Anthony Davis’s responsibilities. Being just a few weeks shy of his 40th birthday, and already the main scorer of the Lakers, the last thing anyone would want is for him to take more load.
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But LeBron expressed, “AD is a big-time rebounder, so I had to pick up some of the slack with the defensive rebounding. And then with AD out, I’m taking a lot of eyes (that would be on) AD, because he’s putting so much pressure on defenses this season. I take some of that responsibility as well. Something I’ve been able to do for quite a while, so it’s not hard for me to be able to tap into that, even though that’s not been my role this year so far.”
Do you think the Lakers can thrive without Anthony Davis for a few games? Let us know in the comments down below.
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Is Anthony Davis' injury a sign of bad luck, or is he just too injury-prone?