To the relief of Los Angeles Lakers fans all over the country, Anthony Davis has returned.
He played limited minutes in his big return to the floor after nearly six weeks on the sidelines because of an injury but he made his presence known.
This comes as a pivotal time for the Lakers, who have struggled with and without Davis all year.
If they hope to make a comeback and smash back into the top eight teams in the West, they’ll need all their best players – including Davis – performing at peak ability.
Davis’ return against Brooklyn suggested that he’s not quite at 100 percent again but he should be soon.
Big Bang…And Then A Whimper
Proving to the LA faithful that he was back in a big way, Davis started the game with a sick lob play coming from LeBron James.
It got the Lakers’ fanbase worked up.
Anthony Davis is back 🚫
3 blocks in the 1st quarter for AD 🙌pic.twitter.com/3MoDRr96v3
— Anthony Davis Nation (@AnthonyDavisCP) January 26, 2022
Some people breathed a sigh of relief because it proved that Davis could be back in fine form yet again.
Early on in the game, Davis looked fantastic.
He scored six of the Lakers’ first eight points and put up three of his four total blocks in the first seven minutes of the game.
It was after that when Davis started to slow down a bit and show that maybe he wasn’t fully back to his regular self yet.
In his 25 minutes on the floor, AD shot 3-of-8 from the field.
Only one of his three field goals was a jump shot while the other two were alley-oops, proving that he’s still finding his shot and might need a bit more time before he’s sinking points away from the basket.
He Wants More
Head coach Frank Vogel was careful not to overplay Davis in his first night back, afraid of injuring the big man once again.
He was also held back a bit because he got himself into foul trouble so was sent to the bench to avoid being fouled out.
But that’s not what Davis wants – he is eager to keep playing.
Speaking to Silver Screen and Roll, Davis said:
“I don’t want to babysit it. I feel like if I have to babysit it then I shouldn’t be on the floor. So, when I’m out there playing, I just try to go out there and do what I have to do to help the team win and let the rest just take of itself. I don’t think ‘Oh this move bothered me before, don’t do it.’ I just go out there and play.”
Still, it’s likely that Davis won’t get his wish just yet.
It’s very likely that he will remain on a minutes restriction for the next few games and will probably ramp up his time on the floor when the team returns to Los Angeles.
"Tried to do it on the defensive end to help my team. Physically I felt fine, the knee felt fine." @AntDavis23 spoke with @LakersReporter following his long-awaited return to the #LakeShow. pic.twitter.com/vivLHZPw2W
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 26, 2022
The good news about the game is that Davis showed he’s just as talented as we remember – although he certainly was a bit rusty at times.
Lakers fans had been through a rough time without Davis – and there is no guarantee there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
Still, having Davis back will hopefully help the team turn things around for the struggling squad.
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