When Anthony Davis first began to struggle with Achilles tendinosis, the Los Angeles Lakers were cautious with him in order to prevent a more serious injury.
However, Davis eventually went down again and the Lakers and their fans held their collective breath as many feared the worst. Although it was later ruled a re-aggravation of his Achilles, it was enough of a scare to ensure that the team took its time with Davis’ rehab.
With Davis set to return against the Dallas Mavericks, he reflected on when the injury occurred back in the middle of February and how serious he originally thought it was.
“I felt pain there before going through the process of the first time I injured it, but the second time, I hate to say it, I never tore an Achilles, but I kind of felt like sharp pain and like it was ripping kind of, which I never felt before,” explained Davis. “The pressure was tough to put on flex in and everything like that. Flex my foot and things like that. It was very painful, so I knew it was something serious. It wasn’t as serious as it could’ve been, but it was still pretty significant injury.”
Davis also discussed how he was able to stay involved with his team despite not playing for nine weeks, which was essentially the length of the entire last offseason.
“Me just staying engaged in the games being like another coach helping the guys. I think that’s how I kind of stayed engaged and kind of got my fix of not being able to play. Being in the gym with the guys and in the games. Breaking down the games and different plays for the guys. Helping them learn and it kind of helped me become a better leader as well. Like a vocal leader talking to the guys and helping them out. It was good for me, but also it was good for them to kind of just hear my voice and not just kind of sit back and just watch while I’m not playing, so they figure it out.
“So I kind of just tried to be that Dudz of the team when I was out. I’m going to continue to do that even if I’m playing.”
The injury is something that will always stick in the minds of Lakers fans considering how bad it looked in real-time, but it was encouraging to see Davis make the most of his time on the sidelines. It was evident he grew as a leader and watching him take more ownership of the roster bodes well for the franchise going forward.
Vogel and staff to monitor Anthony Davis’ Achilles closely
Health is the priority for every team, so it was not surprising to hear head coach Frank Vogel say that he and the medical staff will be monitoring Davis’ Achilles like a hawk. “Always gonna keep a close eye on it,” Vogel said.
“That’s obviously a question for the medical team though. Obviously we’ve gone through every step to make sure he is fully recovered and able to play and obviously any kind of soreness or signs from that part of the body, they’ll handle with great care. But that’s gonna be on their side.”
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