Injuries remain only obstacle in Anthony Davis' latest run of greatness
Anthony Davis is avergaing 22.4 points, 13.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game in the West semis.
LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis does nothing to recklessly put himself in harm’s way. That doesn’t stop harm from getting ahold of a GPS, punching in Davis’ current work address, pinpointing exactly where he is on a basketball court and finding him instead.
It is the story of his basketball life — and make no mistake, it’s a charmed basketball life regardless. If Davis had a dollar for every time he experienced the familiar feeling of pain … actually, he probably does.
Point is, for all of his greatness, for all that he has accomplished in his 11 NBA seasons — the 2020 championship, All-Star appearances, an NBA 75th Anniversary team nod, applause for his defense, respect for his ability to score a variety of ways — Davis hasn’t always been able to take a hit and refrain from grabbing a body part.
The latest example was Wednesday, in the heat of an intense series with the Warriors, when Davis was clubbed in the temple by accident with seven minutes remaining in the Lakers’ Game 5 defeat. The moment he absorbed the blow from Kevon Looney, Davis bent over, staggered off the floor and was later helped to the locker room, done for the night.
He was examined for a concussion, somewhat surprising because on the replay, it didn’t appear to be a vicious shot. While that doesn’t mean Davis wasn’t hit in a vulnerable spot, all the armchair neurologists began to question his toughness, which is a song Davis has heard many times before.
It must be repeated: Whenever Davis falls to the floor, the arena gets so quiet you can hear fingers crossing.
He’s expected to play Friday in Game 6 (10 ET, ESPN), with the Lakers having a second chance to eliminate the Warriors and reach the Western Conference finals. That’s the good news, and there’s more: he hasn’t missed a game in these playoffs. But the Lakers did need to hold their breath a few times, both in the Memphis series and now against the Warriors, when Davis twisted an ankle, hurt his hip and now, has suffered his head injury.
Chris Haynes reports on Anthony Davis, who left Game 5 early with a head injury.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham said Thursday that “our medical staff gave us a great update” and Davis wasn’t “showing signs of anything. So that was great, great news.”
Davis refused to leave the Memphis series. “There’s no way I’m not playing,” he said then. Realizing the stakes right now, he’ll likely adopt the same approach Friday barring a setback or getting red-flagged by the team medical staff.
The biggest pain for Davis instead is a sore reputation. In no specific order or degree of seriousness, he has missed games with shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, Achilles, wrist and hand injuries over his NBA career, never playing a full 82 or even coming close except twice with the Pelicans when he had back-to-back seasons of 75 games played. It’s not by coincidence that those were the finest seasons of his career: A combined average of 28 points, 11 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, 1.5 steals.
When Davis joined the Lakers in 2019 after forcing his way out of New Orleans, his injury ghost made the trip to LA, too. He has played in just 194 of a possible 377 regular season games, but some of those were missed games due to rest and precaution.
In the Lakers’ 2020 championship season, Davis perhaps received a break; because the league briefly shut down for COVID-19, there were fewer games and therefore chances to get injured, and Davis didn’t miss any time during the playoff run to the title.
The next season, Davis had Achilles and calf issues and missed 36 games in a 72-game shortened season. Then, in a first-round series loss to the Suns, Davis pulled up with a groin injury in Game 4, missed the next game and had a cameo in the elimination game.
Last season’s omen arrived quickly when Davis missed the opener with a fever. He missed 40 games, including 17 straight, with an MCL sprain along with wrist, foot and knee drama. The Lakers didn’t make the playoffs.
This season Davis missed 26 out of 82 games mainly with a stressed right foot, along with other ailments. Those injuries and the subsequent absences proved costly, as the Lakers stumbled in the standings until midseason trades and improved health to Davis and LeBron James triggered a season turnaround. The missed time removed Davis from consideration for seasonal awards which emphasize player availability, unlike the All-Star team selections. He didn’t make All-NBA or any of the All-Defensive teams as a result.
Anthony Davis suffers a head injury in the fourth quarter against the Warriors.
Through it all, Davis emerged a winner. Not only did the fortunes of the Lakers change when he joined LeBron, he earned a rich contract extension and remains one of the game’s best two-way players here in what remains his peak years at age 30.
In this series, Davis is perhaps the most impactful player. His presence is felt at both rims, one protecting, the other attacking. With the Warriors lacking an opposing big man with offensive skills, Davis is spending much of his time offering help and serving as the last line of defense. As a result, the Warriors are spooked whenever they drive for layups. Instead, they settle for jumpers and are living and mostly dying off those makes and misses. Davis is serving as a disruptor, demonstrating his elite skills at denying buckets.
He’s also getting his own buckets, averaging 22.4 points in this series on 58.1% shooting, hurting the Warriors on mid-range shots and demanding double teams.
Therefore, his presence means everything to the Lakers in a series so evenly contested even with the Lakers up 3-2. The Warriors have prospered when placed in this position before, and it’ll require more from Davis to close out the defending champions.
“He’s the centerpiece of what we’re trying to do on both sides of the ball,” said Ham, “and for us just in general for our success rate.”
He just has to stay healthy. That’s a bigger threat to Davis than Draymond Green. Davis will receive a hearty ovation from the home fans when he checks in Friday. He has earned that with his play. But the noise generated is only partly out of respect of Davis. The applause will also be the sound of relief from fans who have seen this movie before.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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