Lakers news: Anthony Davis returns to practice, other key injury updates
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers have played without Anthony Davis for nearly a month and have been able to stay afloat. A five-game winning streak without Davis has kept the Lakers around where they were when the big man was initially injured.
It has also given several players a chance to thrive. In addition to LeBron James playing at an MVP level, the Lakers have also got increased production out of Thomas Bryant and Dennis Schroder, to name a few.
The Lakers may actually be better once Davis returns than they were when he was injured. Thus, Lakers fans are waiting for the news that he is returning to the starting lineup to start a hot streak for the team. We are not quite there yet, but there was a fantastic update on Saturday as Davis returned to practice.
Some updates from LAL practice - Anthony Davis was on the floor today for some half-court work. Lakers did, indeed, workout DeMarcus Cousins and Meyers Leonard Friday. Austin Reaves was on the court doing individual work and Lonnie Walker IV is also progressing, per Ham.
— Dan Woike (Click the pic ⬇️ to read) (@DanWoikeSports) January 14, 2023
Lakers news: Anthony Davis isn’t the only Laker with a key injury update
In addition to Davis returning to practice on Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers are also getting progress out of Austin Reaves and Lonnie Walker IV. Both players were given two-week timelines for their respective injuries and they should be back around the same time as Davis.
That would give the Lakers a full-strength squad that has more chemistry. Lakers fans might be two weeks away from seeing the best basketball that the team has played all season. That is all fans can hope for at this point.
As seen in the above tweet, the players returning from injury might not be the only boost the team is getting. Los Angeles has worked out several veteran big men to potentially sign with the team’s next 10-day contract.
This might be a stopgap option to fill in some depth until Davis returns. If that does not happen, the Lakers should explore signing a sharpshooter to a 10-day contract that can potentially become a long-term part of the rotation.
Things have not been wholly positive for Los Angeles this season but it looks like the arrow is finally pointing up. For the sake of the fanbase, hopefully the team can get hot, win some games and convince the front office to make a trade before the deadline.