The 2022-23 season hasn’t gone quite according to plan for the Los Angeles Lakers, who still sit below .500. They’ve made some progress in recent weeks though, managing to string together a couple of impressive wins.
The Lakers outlasted a thriller against the Memphis Grizzlies and followed it up with a wild 25-point comeback victory against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night. Those wins are major boost to the team’s confidence and morale, and the good news doesn’t stop there as they are poised to see Anthony Davis back on the court in the very near future.
Davis has been steadily ramping up on-court activities as he prepares for his return, and he took another important step as Darvin Ham said he looked great in a recent team scrimmage, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“He looked great. We have what we call the ‘Stay Ready’ group. Low minute, no minute guys just to keep them in rhythm, in much rhythm as possible. He got in with that group went up and down with some contact and he looked phenomenal. So again, we’re really being conservative and sticking to the plan but we’re getting to the point within the plan that he’s starting to get a little bump in with the guys and a little more contact to go along with the 1-on-0 workouts. He’s responded well to it so far, so we’ll see.”
The Lakers have an upcoming back-to-back set against the L.A. Clippers and San Antonio Spurs and it would be good to see Davis play in one of those games to get his feet back under him. However, the more likely scenario is that he returns later in the week when they embark on a five-game road trip starting with their long-time rivals the Boston Celtics.
Los Angeles has managed to stay afloat without Davis, but it’s obvious they need him on the floor if they hope to turn things around and get back into the thick of the playoff race. With two impressive wins under their belt the past week, though, the purple and gold have built up some momentum and hopefully they can continue to stack up wins.
LeBron James credits Lakers resiliency since Anthony Davis was sidelined
One encouraging thing about this year’s Lakers team is they have a fighting spirit about them that allows them to keep games competitive. After the win against the Grizzlies, James made sure to credit his team’s resiliency, especially since Davis has been out.
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