The Lakers avoided an absolute worst-case scenario when Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels fell into Anthony Davis’s left knee Friday night. But that doesn’t mean they’ve steered clear of a crisis.
Davis is expected to miss about a month with a sprained MCL. If Los Angeles is lucky, Davis will be sidelined for about only 15 games, leaving 37 more for him to play. But the eight-time All-Star’s eventual presence back in the lineup shouldn’t be seen as a cure-all solution to whatever problems they’ll surely stumble upon while he’s out. When he went down, the Lakers were 16–14, a six seed with the league’s easiest schedule and only four games away from 11th place.