The Los Angeles Lakers will have to find a way to tread water for the next few weeks without Anthony Davis as he is expected to miss around a month with a foot injury suffered in Friday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets.
While the injury comes at an unfortunate time considering how well Davis was playing, it looks like other guys are doing what they can to step up in his absence. The Lakers went on to blow out the Nuggets in the second half after Davis got injured, and then they picked up another win on Sunday night against the Washington Wizards.
After the win, LeBron James credited guys for stepping up although concluded that is what is expected of them.
“Well, at the end of the day, whoever is available to play, we got to make plays. We’re NBA players,” James said. “We have to go out and trust the game plan that the coach has put out there. And then us, trying to go out there and execute it for close to 48 minutes as possible. And I think tonight we were able to do that for the majority of the game. Obviously the third quarter was a downer for us but we picked it back up and were able to rally to win the game.”
James and Davis are very close friends so the former expressed disappointment with the latter’s injury, saying he will be there to support him until he’s back healthy.
“I mean, it’s definitely disappointing to see him have to go through it, especially with the work that he’s put into it. Doesn’t cheat the game. Shows up, prepares himself, goes out, and obviously, he’s been dominant this year, and to have him to have this setback right now. I know it can be tough on him, for sure. Just trying to do whatever I can do to keep his mind fresh. It’s just a minor setback for a major comeback, and we’ll try to hold down the fort for as long as we can until we get our No. 1 guy back, so you know you just have a clear mind and take his time, understand that this is temporary.”
The Lakers will have to keep their foot on the gas pedal moving forward if they want to remain in the playoff race until Davis is able to return. James has led the organization through similar situations in the past though, so it will be on him to continue that leadership both on and off the court.
James credits hard work for longevity
As far as on the court goes, James is in a groove right now as he has scored 30 or more points in four straight hames. That is almost unprecedented for a player in his 20th season, and James was asked how he has been able to keep going in his race with Father Time.
“It really hasn’t changed, I’ve just learned more about my body and how to prepare my body, but I’ve been taking care of my body since I started playing basketball. Like even when I was younger, you guys didn’t hear my best friends growing up before I went to sleep, I was stretching. As soon as I wake up, I was stretching. This is like I was like 10 years old,” James said.
“In high school, I was one of the few guys that were icing after the game, you know, and my rookie year, I was icing after the game as well. But as I got older and older and older, I started to figure out other ways that I could do and be that kind of beat Father Time by putting in more time on my game and putting more time on my craft but mostly on my body and my mind. My mind stays as fresh as it possibly can during a grueling up-and-down NBA season, which it is. My body is going to be able to go out and try to perform at the highest level. So I’ve always wanted to maximize, like even like, the most out of my career and squeeze the most juice I can out of my career. So I don’t know I’m having a good race with Father Time right now, as you can see in some commercials this season. So I feel like I’m winning.”
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