Anthony Davis could be getting ready to make his anticipated return to the court. According to a new report from Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the big man is expected to be back in action some time during the Lakers’ upcoming GRAMMY road trip, which would imply a return window between the 21st and 30th of January.
Davis suffered a sprained MCL in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 17th. The team is 5-7 since then, with games against the Nuggets, Jazz, and Pacers remaining before the earliest return date for their All-Star center according to the ESPN report.
The six-game GRAMMY trip will feature contests against the Magic, Heat, Nets, Sixers, Hornets, and Hawks.
Head coach Frank Vogel told the media on Friday that Davis would be re-evaluated sometime in the “next few days” as was initially planned by the team when Davis was diagnosed with the injury. He will likely speak to the media sometime next week.
While Davis’ season prior to his injury had some inconsistencies, his absence has been strongly felt, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. The team’s defensive rating has plummeted in recent weeks after climbing up to a top-ten ranking in the league prior to their anchor’s injury.
Davis’ return will allow the Lakers to resort to center-less lineups at a much lower rate than their current rotation, giving LeBron James less defensive responsibility while theoretically increasing the team’s chances of getting stops at the rim and grabbing defensive rebounds, two key reasons for their struggles.
