California’s El Segundo (AP) — Even after recovering from Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl’s poke to his left eye, Anthony Davis said he is still not convinced to wear safety goggles because of his most recent eye injury.
The star big man for the Los Angeles Lakers announced on Tuesday that he will play against Memphis on Wednesday night (10 ET, ESPN). After practice at the Lakers’ training center, Davis’ left eye was visibly red and discolored, but he dismissed the injury’s possible effects.
Davis declared, “I’ll go about my day and do what I need to do.” “Getting more sleep is the next step.”
According to Davis, he is “not sure” if his most recent injury is another corneal abrasion. He sustained the injury in March of last year after being poked during a game against Golden State, but he was able to play through it.
“I have a few scratches in my eye,” Davis remarked. “I’m cleared to play, but I’m not entirely sure about the medical term and everything else.”
The nine-time All-Star is asked if he would think about donning goggles or protective glasses like equally dominant big men Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Amare Stoudemire each time opponents poke him in the face. On Tuesday, Davis said, “No,” even before the standard inquiry was finished.
Davis remarked, “I don’t want to, and the doctor said I didn’t have to.” “Of course I will wear goggles if the doctor orders it to be that way.”
For around three years, Davis, a top-tier high school talent, wore goggles. During the Lakers’ 2020 championship run in the Florida epidemic bubble, he made another fleeting attempt to wear goggles but soon gave up.
During a spectacular one-handed block of a dunk attempt by Poeltl, who unintentionally clocked Davis in the face with his off hand, Davis sustained an injury halfway through the third quarter of Sunday night’s game against Toronto. Even though Davis was unable to play again, the Lakers defeated the Raptors 123-103.
The 31-year-old Davis has already sparked early Kia MVP speculation due to his stellar start to the regular season. With 31.2 points per game, 10.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.0 blocks for the Lakers (6-4), he is the second-leading scorer in the NBA.
Jaxson Hayes, who scored a season-high 12 points against Toronto, is Davis’ backup. But without Christian Wood, who recently experienced a setback in his recuperation from surgery on his left knee, the Lakers are weak at center.
Wood experienced knee pain when he resumed working out in recent days, according to Lakers coach JJ Redick. Wood has missed two months of action.
Redick declared, “We’re going to scale him back.” “An update will be available in approximately four weeks.”
