Lakers' Anthony Davis Cleared for Full On-Court Activity in Calf Injury Rehab
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, who has been out since Feb. 14 after being diagnosed with a right calf strain and a re-aggravation of his right Achilles tendonosis, has been cleared for full on-court activity.
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel revealed the news to reporters (h/t Lakers reporter Mike Trudell) on Thursday.
Vogel added that the Lakers will be cautious with Davis' minutes upon his return, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic. AD will likely start with a 15-minute restriction in his first game back.
Davis, an eight-time All-Star who helped guide the Lakers to the NBA championship last year, has averaged 22.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 23 games this season.
Some encouraging and optimistic news about Davis emerged via ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on NBA Countdown (h/t ESPN's Dave McMenamin) this past Saturday. Wojnarowski said that Davis could be returning to the court within 10-14 days from that point.
He also said Lakers medical personnel planned to evaluate Davis on Thursday, and apparently, that observation went well considering Vogel said Davis will be cleared for full-court work.
L.A. has struggled without Davis. If you omit his brief, injury-shortened appearance in a Feb. 14 game against the Utah Jazz, the Lakers have gone 17-5 with AD on the court and 17-16 otherwise. Being without LeBron James since March 20 due to a high-ankle sprain has also hindered the Lakers' progress, but L.A. is still fifth in the Western Conference.
Given the reported timelines, Davis will likely be out for the remainder of the Lakers' homestand, which closes with back-to-back games against the Jazz on Saturday and Monday.
L.A. will then hit the road for a four-game trip beginning next Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks.
Until Davis returns, expect Kyle Kuzma to continue to start at power forward. Kuzma's 24 points helped guide the Lakers to a 101-93 road win over the Charlotte Hornets in their last game.
