LOS ANGELES — Sunday night, forward Anthony Davis went to the locker room midway through the third quarter of the Lakers 123-103 win over the Toronto Raptors after suffering a left eye injury.
Jakob Poeltl’s off hand hit Davis in the face and eyes, making it difficult for the superstar forward to keep his left eye open. This news is especially concerning, as Davis suffered a corneal abrasion to the same eye back in March. In the post game press conference, Lakers head coach JJ Redick addressed the injury, explaining why he didn’t put Davis back in the game.
“He was having trouble seeing. Obviously taking a little bit of trauma to the eye, it takes a little bit of time to get your clear vision back. But other than that, no update.”
Redick’s tone made it clear that he doesn’t see the need to draw any more speculation about the injury. Davis has been the anchor of the Lakers organization so far this season. Coming into the game Davis was leading the NBA in scoring at 32.4 points per game, along with 11.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He’s accrued a remarkable six 30-point games already this season.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis gets injured against the Toronto Raptors.
Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
The silver lining here is that the Lakers’ bench finally stepped up and took control, as Jaxson Hayes replaced Davis’ in the Lakers’ rotation and quickly contributed three dunks and a layup, contributing to the Lakers’ lead. Coming into the game, the Laker’s bench was near the bottom of the league in production, so it was about time we see some positive changes. Hayes finished the game with an impressive 12 points and six rebounds.
When asked in the post game press conference about Hayes’s contributions, Austin Reaves praised the young forward:
“I thought Jaxson was amazing tonight.. Especially that third quarter on, I thought that he played probably one of his best games since he’s been here. Being active defensively, being a scorer in the pocket, rebounder. I thought he did a lot of really good things.”
For the first time this season, the Lakers demonstrated that they can secure a victory without depending on Davis. For a team with championship aspirations, the Lakers’ bench will need to keep evolving to ensure they remain competitive in the off chance that any of their key players face injuries.
