Lakers News: Anthony Davis 'Optimistic' About Return from Injury Before End of Season

Anthony Davis plans on taking the floor again this season despite a foot injury that has kept him sidelined since Feb. 16.

"I feel good," he told reporters before the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. "The swelling has decreased. The function of my foot has increased."

He also said he couldn't put a percentage number on how confident he was that he would return but said he was "optimistic" he would.

That is welcome news for the Lakers, who are an ugly 2-6 in the last eight games without him.

The Purple and Gold are just 29-37 on the campaign, which is good enough for ninth place in the Western Conference. They are also five games behind the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers, which means they are likely headed to a play-in tournament situation where they will need to claim two win-or-go-home games just to make the eight-team bracket.

A healthy Davis is the only way Los Angeles will realistically be a factor in the Western Conference playoffs.

He is an eight-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection who can score on the blocks, anchor the interior defense, control the glass and extend his game outside the paint if needed. He and LeBron James are still a formidable one-two punch despite the poor record and would be a threat to any team in a best-of-seven series.

Davis is averaging 23.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 53.7 percent from the field this season.

Health has been the biggest concern with his game of late, especially after he played just 36 games last season while the Lakers failed to defend their championship.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski recently reported that Davis' walking boot came off, which sets the stage for him to return to the court for stationary shooting. The plan is for him to return by at least the playoffs.

A strong Western Conference will be even more daunting if Davis is fully healthy and ready to team back up with James by the postseason.