Long before the start of the 21-22 season, many fans predicted that the Lakers, whose average age is as high as 32, will suffer serious injury troubles this season. After the start of the season, the Lakers did fall into several injury crises, but the team barely survived these difficulties. Although the Lakers have not yet shown enough combat effectiveness, the current record is enough for them to rank in the top eight in the West. While the overall state of the season is average, it's impressive that the Lakers lineup has been able to play a winning streak every time it returns to near-fullness. Recently, according to the information revealed by Lakers coach Vogel, the Purple and Gold Team is expected to play all-round for the first time in the season. Raine, who was injured at the beginning of the season and has not yet appeared, is about to make his season debut, and All-Star Anthony Davis, who has been absent since injury in mid-December, is also about to return from injury.
During a Dec. 17 game against the Timberwolves, Anthony Davis left the court with a knee injury struck by Timberwolves forward Vanderbilt during a blocking break. Although it will be at least a month away, the unfortunate luck is that the Lakers All-Star did not have a torn ligament on the inside line. In the home game before the start of the road trip, Anthony Davis had already done some shooting training while wearing high-tech mechanical protective gear. In the course of the recent road trip, Davis not only followed the team throughout the whole process, but also participated in part of the team training. If there is no accident, the Lakers forward's injury has basically healed, and in the next period of time, the Lakers will help him regain his muscle strength to prepare for the game. After the comeback of Anthony Davis, the Lakers' other long-term illness Nunn is also about to return to the court, and the Lakers will also be fully healthy for the first time in the season.
Before the start of the season, the Lakers formulated a strategy for Anthony Davis to be the team's fifth position. On the one hand, with the overall trend of small balls in the league, Anthony Davis has every potential to become the best small ball five, and he also proved this in the playoffs of the 19-20 season. On the other hand, after the introduction of Westbrook, the Lakers have two of the league's top players who can break through the ball, and the traditional interior line obviously cannot meet the needs of the team's space. After the start of the season, Westbrook's degradation has forced the Lakers to embark on the road of expanding space in the extremely small lineup. Combined with the recent news that the Lakers have put Howard and Jordan on the shelves, the probability that Anthony Davis will still be the fifth place of the team after his comeback is almost 100 percent.
Westbrook's slump has made the Lakers look forward to Nunn's return, and they hope that the young double guard, who is averaging 15 points per game, can change the team for the rest of the season. Nunn has a good ball-holding offensive ability and projection ability, which can give the Lakers a chance to choose when Westbrook is in poor shape. The return of Anthony Davis and Nunn is not only the Lakers almost the Lakers' last attempt this season, if the two comebacks do not work well, it will be difficult for the Purple and Gold to change the situation through a trade in less than a month. Do fans and friends think the comebacks of Nunn and Anthony Davis can help the Lakers get back into the ranks of the strong teams? Welcome to discuss and communicate in the comments section!