For as much as it may have felt like good news that Anthony Davis wasn’t lost for the season when he was diagnosed with a sprained MCL over the weekend, it does still mean the team will be without one of its centerpieces for at least a month.
On the season, Davis has played 70% of his minutes at center — far, far and away the highest percentage of his career — which has changed how the Lakers have been able to play on both ends of the court.
Naturally, then, there is no one player that the team can expect to step in and replicate or replace his production, though a veteran team that has embraced a “next man up” mentality could be most prepared to handle the situation.