2 min read • January 12, 2022
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A little over 3 weeks since suffering a left MCL sprain, Anthony Davis was seen for the first time working out and taking jumpers before the Lakers' home game on Saturday night.
The star big man was donning a hulking brace to protect his $190 million knee that endured the MCL injury on Dec. 17. when Jaden McDaniels fell into his left leg, rapidly displacing and then relocating his patella.
The Lakers are expected to re-evaluate Davis on Jan. 15, but according to our team of ProBasketballDocs, it is highly unlikely he will return this month.
The 28-year-old's 6'10," 250-pound frame and playing style both contribute heavily to a prolonged absence.
As the defensive stalwart on this team who is tasked with covering both perimeter and interior players, his lateral mobility and ability to elevate with shooters would be limited by the injury at its current stage of recovery.
With LeBron James stabilizing the Lakers team that is entrenched in the race for a lower-tier playoff seed, they can afford Davis taking extra time to heal his knee.
That means, however, that Los Angeles will likely be shorthanded for at least a large portion of an upcoming 6-game East Coast road trip that features games with the Nets on Jan. 25, 76ers on Jan. 27, and Hornets on Jan. 28.
Davis will come back to a team in transition, with James stepping in as the center in new small-ball lineups while wings Talen Horton-Tucker, Austin Reaves, and newly-acquired Stanley Johnson have seen an uptick in minutes and field goal attempts.
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