Kendrick Perkins outlines dark side of LA Lakers after Anthony Davis's injury : “I think they're in a better position than the Warriors"
Despite Anthony Davis' injury, the Los Angeles Lakers grabbed their 13th win of the season against the Washington Wizards, 119-117, at Crypto.com arena.
All Lakers starters were in double-digits, with LeBron leading all scorers with 33 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. Lonnie Walker IV scored 21, and Thomas Bryant logged a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Anthony Davis' injury has, once again, put him on the bench for an extended period of time. The Lakers' run in the month of November was highly dependent on Davis' performances. Their win against Washington last night makes the Lakers' record without Davis 2-2.
Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins sounded off on his thoughts about the Lakers, highlighting his apprehensions:
"Obviously, they need AD, and we wish him well, but honestly, what were the Lakers doing? I mean, they don't have the roster right. They don't have the pieces.
"Unless they were planning on making a move, this is just going to send them back even more."
However, Perk added that the Lakers can stay afloat in the Western Conference, stating:
"LeBron is going to break the record ... Russ has been playing phenomenal, Dennis Schroder, his energy on both ends of the floor has been great, and Thomas Bryant has shown some spurts.
"I think they're going to be okay. I think that they're going to stay afloat around that .500 range until AD gets back. I think they're in a better position than the Warriors."
What does Anthony Davis' injury mean for the Lakers?
Since Anthony Davis' injury is likely to keep him out for, at least, a month, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in quite the pickle. LA gained momentum after their 2-10 start on the back of Davis' eye-popping performance.
Between Nov. 13 and Dec. 13, Davis played in all but two games and averaged 32.4 points per game, 14.0 rebounds per game and 2.3 blocks per game, in this stretch, barring the two games he missed, LAL was 8-5.
With Davis out, we are likely to see more of Thomas Bryant, Wenyen Gabriel, and LeBron James at center. Last year, James played in 34 games without Davis and averaged a staggering 32.9 points per game, 9.0 rebounds per game and 5.9 assists per game.
Last night, the lineup consisting of James, Westbrook, Walker IV, Bryant and Reaves was the most efficient of any of the lineups with, at least, five minutes in the game. The lineup had a box plus-minus score of +4.
While no replacement will ever do justice to Davis, with some luck and consistency, the Lakers can hold their own through the next month, seeing as their schedule will be relatively easier for a while than it has been.
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