It was a few years ago when Charles Barkley bestowed the nickname of ‘Street Clothes’ onto Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis. Now 31 years old, Davis was unfortunately forced into watching the action rather than playing due to injury far too often. He has long been one of the game’s best talents, but one that had been deemed as injury-prone. That hasn’t been the case of late though, as he missed only six games in 2023-24 and just three thus far this season. That number will rise though as Anthony Davis has sustained an abdominal injury which took him out of Tuesday’s game prematurely.
Anthony Davis Has Abdominal Injury, Return Timetable Revealed
Anthony Davis Will Be Re-evaluated In A Week After Injury
The Lakers experienced a difficult loss on Tuesday to a undermanned Philadelphia 76ers squad. The final score was 118-104, and it dropped LA’s record to 26-19. That places them in fifth place in the Western Conference. It is tight though, as the Lakers are just 2.5 games up on the 10th-place Sacramento Kings.
In Tuesday’s outing, Davis left the floor with 2:10 remaining in the first quarter and did not return. It was referred to as an abdominal injury. The 6-foot-10 center underwent an MRI on Wednesday, and he has been diagnosed with an abdominal strain. The team announced that he will be re-evaluated in about a week. That would sideline Davis for at least the next three games, all on the road against the Washington Wizards, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers.
Lakers say Anthony Davis will be re-evaluated in one week due to an abdominal muscle strain.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 29, 2025
All-Star Season Has Become The Norm
It has been an excellent season for Davis, now in his 13th year in the NBA. It will likely culminate in his 10th All-Star Game selection when All-Star reserves are announced on Thursday. In his 42 outings, Davis has posted averages of 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.1 blocks. He has shot 52.8% from the field, 29.8% from three-point territory, and 78.8% from the free-throw line. Davis is 10th in the league in scoring average, sixth in rebounds, and third in blocks.
Prior to his abdominal injury, Davis was on pace to equal his career-high of 76 games played from last season. He has appeared in no more than 62 contests in his other four seasons since joining the Lakers.
What Will Starting Lineup Change Be While Davis Is Out?
While it’s not yet clear who will take Davis’ place in the Lakers starting lineup while he’s out, head coach JJ Redick provided a possible hint on Tuesday. He went with a small lineup to start the second half with Davis unavailable, inserting Dorian Finney-Smith with the starters. He shared the frontcourt with LeBron James and Rui Hachimura. Philadelphia did not start a natural center with both Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond out, so perhaps this wasn’t the move that Redick will make in future games.
If he decides to go the more traditional center route, the likely option would be Jaxson Hayes (or Christian Koloko). The 24-year-old Hayes started the previous three games that Davis has missed this season.
Photo credit: © Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
