Los Angeles Lakers: Injuries

The Los Angeles Lakers are the defending NBA champions and they will have a very good shot at defending their title this season, that is if they are fully healthy come playoff time. LeBron James is currently out with a high ankle sprain and Anthony Davis has been sidelined since mid-February with a calf injury. 

Before injuring his calf again in mid-February, Davis sat out a couple of games early on in the year because of the same calf bothering him, which is definitely a cause for concern for Lakers’ fans. 

During the Warriors’ 2019 NBA Finals run, Kevin Durant also dealt with a mysterious “calf injury” that kept him sidelined for weeks, until he came back and injured his Achilles, keeping him out for the entire 2019-20 season. 

The Los Angeles Lakers are being very cautious with Anthony Davis and his injured calf, as they will not look to rush him back, but if he comes back late in the regular season and enters the playoffs still with restrictions on his minutes/playing time, the Lakers could definitely be in trouble. 

RELATED: NBA Trade Rumors: This Bucks-Thunder trade features Al Horford to Milwaukee

Without Anthony Davis, it is hard to say the Lakers are the team to beat in the West, especially with other great teams in the Jazz, Suns, Clippers, Nuggets and Blazers. If this team is to have a shot at winning back-to-back titles, they are going to need Anthony Davis fully healthy and being the elite frontcourt talent that he is. 

If Anthony Davis is not 100% healthy for the playoffs and if this team continues to struggle due to injuries, it is hard to see them repeating as champions. Injuries are the biggest weakness to the Lakers and the main factor that could keep them out of this year’s NBA Finals.