Anthony Davis has been held out of practices and scrimmages for the last few days after being poked in the eye during the Los Angeles Lakers’ scrimmage game against the Orlando Magic.
Lakers team officials would not give any details beyond that Davis was experiencing discomfort in the eye, but did say there was concern over his status for Thursday night’s seeding games opener against the L.A. Clippers.
Davis returned to practice Wednesday, explaining afterward that his eye has improved drastically since the initial injury, and symptoms of light sensitivity have all but faded.
“Eye is getting better. Way better than when I initially got hit. Moving in the right direction,” Davis said. He is scheduled to undergo another examination Wednesday night, which will factor heavily into his availability for the Lakers’ first seeding game.
However, Davis already was confident he would suit up against the Clippers. “That’s the plan, for me to play,” he said.
If necessary, Davis plans on wearing protective goggles, but nothing is set in stone there. He did, however, wear them in practice. “It was definitely different in practice. It felt very different. I won’t necessarily have to wear them tomorrow, it’s just a precautionary thing,” Davis explained.
“If I need them, they’re there. I didn’t want the first time of me wearing them to be in a game. I wanted to test them in practice. As practice went on, I got more and more used to them.”
Even though the Clippers will not be at full strength, as they’ll be missing both Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell, it would be great to see what the Lakers are capable of when healthy. Davis missing the highly anticipated matchup wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it would push back the team’s ability to get to 100%.
But as long as these games don’t matter as much, health and safety are the most important things. If Davis legitimately feels ready to play, then he should. But if there is any doubt at all about his eye, then there’s no reason to risk further injury.
Using quarantine to get healthy
Besides the eye injury, Davis is feeling healthier than he has all season long, and is ready to go on the Lakers quest for a championship. Earlier this month he shared what benefit came from having a prolonged period away from the court, and on Wednesday stood by that perspective.
“I think it was good for everybody,” Davis said. “I think guys did a good job of using that time wisely to take care of their bodies and making sure they came back ready.”
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