LeBron James miffed at reporter's question on impact of Anthony Davis' injury concerns on Lakers
LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the cornerstones of a LA Lakers squad that has seemingly lost its footing after starting the season 3-0. The Lakers lost three of the next four games, including on Monday to the Detroit Pistons, to fall 4-3 on the season.
While losing to the Pistons comes with its own set of concerns, LA fans got more disturbing news in the form of a foot injury to Davis. The big man has been dominant to start the season and is in MVP conversations.
Seeing that Davis is a crucial cog of a team trying to compete for a championship, James was asked about the uncertainty that surrounded the center’s availability for the foreseeable future. LeBron James didn’t take kindly to the reporter's question (1:34):
“What, AD's out? What do you mean? You want me to ask a question that I don't have an answer to?”
When the reporter rephrased the question to ask how concerned James was about the injury, he said:
“I don't know, I'm going second by second.”
Anthony Davis sustained the left foot injury midway through the fourth quarter of Monday’s 115-103 loss. While he finished the game, Davis was visibly frustrated with the injury. He told reporters after the game, via LA Times:
“I’ll talk to my trainer and just kind of figure out what exactly is going on. I’ve been managing it since this summer, honestly, and my goal for every game is to be on the floor. And I just kind of landed directly on the spot that’s been killing me. So, we’ll figure it out. …
“We’ll take it a day at a time and kind of see how it feels and where it goes.”
Davis finished the game with 37 points and nine rebounds.
LeBron James will need to burden more offensive responsibility if Anthony Davis is forced to miss time
Anthony Davis had a stellar start to the season, averaging 32.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.6 steals. He has been the LA Lakers’ best player without a doubt. This has allowed LeBron James to take a back seat in the first seven games, where he averaged 21.9 points, 7.7 assists and 6.9 rebounds.
While there’s no clarity on the extent of Davis’ injury yet and if he will miss time, if he is indeed forced to the sidelines, LeBron James will definitely need to up his game.
After starting the season 3-0 at home, the Lakers lost three of their next four games on the road. The team finishes its five-game road trip with a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.