In the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-101 win over the Charlotte Hornets, Anthony Davis reportedly suffered a shoulder injury, but he denied the report when asked about it.
However, prior to the team’s 120-91 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Davis was testing his shoulder and played, but it was evident he was dealing with some discomfort.
As Davis did go back to the locker room to get his shoulder re-taped, he finished with 40 points (26-of-27 from the free-throw line) and 20 rebounds in just 31 minutes of play.
After their third consecutive win, new details emerged about Davis’ shoulder, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
Anthony Davis jammed his shoulder late in Sunday’s win over CHA, getting caught on the rim during a failed dunk attempt. A league source told ESPN that Davis experienced tightness in the days that followed but was cleared by the Lakers medical staff to play.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 30, 2019
While there were concerns, head coach Frank Vogel revealed the Lakers had a plan of action in place.
“We just discussed it with the medical team and told them during that first timeout to check him out and let us know if we have to pull because we’ll pull him,” Vogel shared.
“They decided he was good to go.”
Over the last couple of seasons, the Lakers have dealt with significant injuries. However, there is confidence moving forward led by returning director of sports performance Judy Seto and new head athletic trainer Nina Hsieh.
As the Lakers prepare for the first road trip of the 2019-20 NBA season, Davis will have two days before he matches up against Kristaps Porzingis and the Dallas Mavericks.
While Davis had a historical game, the Lakers need to continue to monitor the situation. Although Los Angeles building team chemistry as quickly as possible is important, they need him to be healthy to win the 2020 NBA Finals.
As Davis continues to get comfortable playing with LeBron James and his teammates, it appears help is on the way as Kyle Kuzma could make his debut during the road trip.