The NBA preseason is an exercise in players working on building up chemistry with one another before the year tips off. As long as a team can accomplish this and no one gets hurt, the preseason is generally a success. It’s especially crucial for a team like the Los Angeles Lakers, which went through a major roster overhaul this past summer.
The team is still in China, having wrapped up its two preseason tilts against the Brooklyn Nets. But during the team’s second game, which took place on Saturday, Anthony Davis suffered an apparent thumb injury. Davis hurt his thumb during the first quarter of action while attempting to swipe at the ball, and according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the All-NBA big man tried staying in the game before leaving and ending his afternoon after 12 minutes of work.
The initial diagnosis on Davis’ injury is a sprained right thumb, and once the team returns stateside, he’ll get some more tests done to learn the extent of the injury.
Lakers say Anthony Davis will undergo diagnostic testing on his right thumb upon the team's return to Los Angeles.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) October 12, 2019
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, preliminary testing shows a bit of good news: Davis does not appear to have suffered any ligament damage.
Initial exams on Lakers star Anthony Davis' right thumb showed no ligament damage, believed to be a Grade 1 sprain, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Davis will undergo an MRI on Sunday.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 12, 2019
It goes without saying, but Davis missing any extended period of time with an injury would be a tough blow for the Lakers. Davis had looked good in preseason action, averaging 19 points in 22 minutes a game, and there’s no word on his availability for the team’s final preseason game on Monday at Staples Center.
