Anthony Davis Injury Puts Lakers in a Tough Spot

With All-Star Weekend (Feb. 13-19) around the corner, the Lakers might take the cautious route and hold him out until after the break. That would give him extra time to heal, but it also leaves them scrambling to figure out how to survive without their defensive backbone and second-leading scorer for an extended stretch.

This puts JJ Redick in a tough spot. How do you replace a guy who does everything?

Jaxson Hayes is the obvious choice to start at center, but let’s be real—he’s not AD. He’ll bring energy and athleticism, but he’s not a defensive anchor. Behind him, the Lakers barely have options. Two-way players Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison III could see some minutes, but neither has proven themselves at the NBA level.

Then there’s the small-ball experiment. Redick could lean into lineups with LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, or Jarred Vanderbilt as makeshift bigs. The Lakers have toyed with small-ball at times, but relying on it for full games—especially against teams with dominant bigs—is a huge gamble.

No matter how they slice it, Davis' absence is going to be felt everywhere. And if this front office wasn’t already feeling the urgency to add frontcourt depth, it should be now.

Here’s the frustrating part: Davis has been asking for frontcourt help all season. He’s made it clear he’d rather play power forward than be a full-time center, and just a few weeks ago, he spelled it out:

"I think we need another big. I feel like I’ve always been at my best when I’ve been a four and having a big out there. We know it worked when we won a championship with JaVale and Dwight, them at the five and I’m at the four.”

That 2020 championship team had elite rim protection and size, something this roster does not. Hayes has had his moments, but he’s not the kind of bruising presence AD is talking about.

The Lakers have been linked to Clint Capela, Jonas Valančiūnas, and even Steven Adams in trade rumors, but the deadline is creeping up, and they still haven’t pulled the trigger.

Davis' injury only amplifies the Lakers’ biggest weakness—they don’t have enough depth at center. They’ve known this for months, but now they’re out of time to keep waiting.

If they stand pat, they’ll have to survive the next stretch of games with a paper-thin center rotation and pray AD doesn’t have a setback. But if this injury finally forces the front office to act, it might be the wake-up call they needed all along.