The Los Angeles Lakers will be without Anthony Davis for the foreseeable future as he recovers from a calf strain and aggravation of the Achilles tendinosis. He will be sidelined for at least the next four weeks — taking his absence beyond the NBA All-Star break. In the meantime, LeBron James will be relied upon heavily to keep the team afloat.
In the early stage of Anthony Davis’ absence, the Lakers have posted a 1-2 record with their sole win coming against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who hold the NBA’s worst record. LeBron James sees plenty of room for himself to improve.
“I think that’s what it all boils down to, and right now is another challenge for me, to be able to adjust,” James said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Not having [Anthony Davis] for a long period of time is something that we haven’t had over the last year and a half, and now it’s time for me to adjust again and see ways I can be even more effective to help this team win ballgames. Because that is the sport that we’re in.
“We’re in the winning business, and I’ve always been a winner. So, it’s time to click into that.”
It’s safe to say that LeBron James’ worst performance since Anthony Davis’ injury is his most recent. During the Lakers’ 96-94 loss to the Miami Heat, James finished with just 19 points and 9 rebounds. He went 7-of-21 (33.3%) from the field and 1-of-8 (12.5%) from deep with 5 turnovers.
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One of the key struggles for LeBron James as of late has been his lack of execution on shots from beyond the arc. He hasn’t made multiple three’s within the same game since Feb. 10 and is shooting a combined 4-of-27 (14.8%) from deep over the Lakers’ last five games.
The Lakers will be without Anthony Davis beyond the NBA All-Star break and will need to find ways to win games to remain towards the top of the Western Conference standings. Los Angeles trails only the Utah Jazz and leads the Los Angeles Clippers by just a half game.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers return to action on Monday night when they take on the Washington Wizards.
