It has been a struggle, to say the least, for the Los Angeles Lakers since Anthony Davis suffered a stress injury in his right foot versus the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 16.
They have been scoring enough points to have a chance to win almost every game they have played, but without Davis, their defense and rebounding have left much to be desired.
In its last 15 games, L.A. has ranked 23rd in defensive rating, and, not surprisingly, it has gone 7-8 in that span.
But Davis has been progressing nicely in his rehab. Although it has gone slower than Lakers fans would have hoped, he keeps inching closer to a return.
Before the team’s loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, head coach Darvin Ham said Davis has hit another mini-milestone in his recovery.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham said Anthony Davis has done individual workouts for 45 minutes to an hour, and said is “pretty much pain free.”
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) January 19, 2023
A few days earlier, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Davis is hoping to come back “with a handful of games left before the All-Star break,” which would translate to early February.
The Lakers start a very challenging five-game road trip on Jan. 28 with a game against the Boston Celtics, and the trip will also include contests against the New York Knicks and New Orleans Pelicans.
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