"Me, Bron and Russ... we played what, 15, 21 games together?" - Anthony Davis reflects on LA Lakers' injury troubles this season

Anthony Davis played great but could not carry the LA Lakers to a much-needed victory over the Denver Nuggets last night. [Photo: Orange County Register]

Without LeBron James, the duo of Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook did all they could to end the LA Lakers’ five-game losing streak. Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, however, proved too much for the Hollywood squad without the NBA’s leading scorer and handed LA their sixth straight loss.

The Lakers are now in 11th place and are likely headed for one of the biggest implosions in NBA history. LA’s star-studded trio of James, Davis and Westbrook barely played together and have underachieved in the matches they have taken to the court.

The Lakers will rue this season as a what-could-have-been campaign had they been fully healthy and had gotten enough games to find better chemistry. Anthony Davis recently spoke about the Lakers’ missed opportunities and glaring shortcomings. When asked about the inability for him and James to play together consistently, he said:

“We never did all year. I think us three - me, Bron and Russ... played what, 15, 21 games together? We didn’t expect us to only have 21 games together. It’s just been that kind of year… In the time we do play together, we do look really good…”

Davis said:

“It's been tough not being able to fully reach our potential as far as us three being on the floor and seeing what we really could be. With that being said, we also have enough even to win basketball games even if he [James] don’t play, I don’t play.”

“It's been tough not being able to fully reach our potential as far as us three being on the floor and seeing what we can really be." @AntDavis23 on the most frustrating part of the season. https://t.co/icDP45WLMu

Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Russell Westbrook have played 39, 56 and 77 games respectively this season, appearing on the court together 21 times. Compared to other top trios in the league, the Lakers’ much-ballyhooed three-man group has been hugely-disappointing.

They have a -3.5 net rating, which is one of the worst on the Lakers' roster for a trio that has played at least 300 minutes.

The LA Lakers’ vaunted trio, headed by the league’s top scorer, are only averaging a 107.1 offensive rating, which suggests a lack of rhythm and chemistry. James, Stanley Johnson and Malik Monk are obliterating that total with their 119.1 offensive rating, albeit in slightly lower minutes.

LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook will all start for the Lakers for just the 21st time this season. (Also: Avery Bradley is back in the mix.) https://t.co/p6WlEzOpXs

Maybe if they had played even half of the season together the Lakers’ future Hall-of-Famers could have played better. Anthony Davis, in a report by Fox Sports, even guaranteed an NBA title by the purple and gold had they been fully healthy.

With the Lakers’ season almost over, the what could have and should have been games could linger long into the summer.

Anthony Davis will play until the LA Lakers’ season ends

Anthony Davis has been injury-plagued for most of his career in the NBA.

Anthony Davis has vowed to face adversity with the rest of his LA Lakers teammates until their season ends. AD only played his second game after a six-week absence due to a midfoot sprain against Denver. He had an impressive outing against Jokic and the Nuggets but could not lead his team to a win.

Head coach Frank Vogel has lauded the 8x All-Star for his sacrifice and for playing through the pain. It remains to be seen what AD can do, considering that he looked hobbled against the Nuggets. Davis is expecting nothing more than soreness after every game, but the LA Lakers could be playing with fire if this is how they’ll close out the season.

Frank Vogel praised Anthony Davis for "playing with a lot of heart" while clearly not being 100% healthy.

Davis pushing through the pain might be a case of too little too late. They no longer control their own destiny, particularly with the San Antonio Spurs needing only to win two of their last four games to eliminate the LA Lakers. Given how injury-prone the superstar big man is, the Lakers might be better off shutting him down.