LeBron James on Anthony Davis' Injury: 'Impossible' for Somebody to Replace AD

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said it will be "impossible" for the team to replicate Anthony Davis' production while he's out of the lineup with an Achilles injury.

"We're not asking anybody to pick up what A.D. does. It's impossible. He's a special player and a special talent for a reason. Everyone, individually, has to pick up their play for the collective of the team in A.D.'s absence," James told reporters.

Davis went down in the second quarter of Sunday's game against the Denver Nuggets and was initially diagnosed with an Achilles strain. The All-Star had been dealing with Achilles tendonosis recently but had been cleared to play and said he was feeling good heading into the game. 

"I mean, you kind of learn a lot from the MRI, so kind of just waiting on that," Davis told reporters. "Obviously, the doctors don't want to rule out anything and then it's something, or say it's something, then it's not. But they say everything looks good, but you still want the MRI just to make sure."

While an Achilles rupture seems unlikely at this juncture—that injury can typically be diagnosed even before an MRI—it's likely the Lakers will be without Davis for an extended period. Their sole focus remains repeating as NBA champions, and there is little reason to rush Davis to return until doctors are 100 percent certain he's at no risk of a serious reaggravation.

Davis trying to play through the tendonosis already backfired on the team, and it would be smart to essentially handle him with kid gloves for as long as needed. The Lakers have given themselves a cushion in the playoff race, and dropping to a No. 3 or No. 4 seed won't preclude them from a deep playoff run.

While home-court advantage may wind up playing a factor in this year's postseason, it's unlikely any building will be at full capacity even by the summer.

James will have to shoulder an even bigger load with Davis out of the lineup, which may wind up bolstering his MVP case, depending on how the Lakers perform in the coming weeks.