When Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis of Chicago, Illinois, went down with his strained Achilles injury on February 16, many thought this could be a significant blow to the Lakers organization. After five games, the Lakers have a record of only one win and four losses, with their only win coming against the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves in a 112-104 Los Angeles victory on February 16.
In the last four games, the Lakers have struggled mightily, as they have been outscored by 44 points, including a 114-89 smacking at the hands of the red-hot Utah Jazz on Wednesday. In this time, the Lakers have had the services of superstar LeBron James, but there is no doubt they are missing what Davis can bring to the table.
One might forget how much the Lakers struggled before Davis joined Los Angeles for the 2019-20 NBA season. Even with James in the lineup in 2018-19, Los Angeles missed the playoffs, as they were eight games below the .500 mark at 37 wins and 45 losses.
It has been the addition of Davis, one of the best power forwards in the NBA, to complement James, that has made the Lakers one of the elite teams. Without him, and the Lakers are simply an ordinary team at best. During the 2019-20 season where they won the NBA Finals, Davis, not James, led the Lakers in regular season scoring (26.1 points per game), rebounds per game (9.3), and playoff scoring (27.7 points per game).
Now in 2020-21, Davis once again leads the Lakers in many categories. They include rebounds per game (8.4), steals per game (1.3), and blocks per game (1.8).
Davis is expected to miss the next two weeks with the Lakers. It will be interesting to see how they will manage during that time. Currently, they are at 22 wins and 11 losses, and third place in the Western Conference.
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