5 things to watch for in the second half of the 2020-21 NBA season

1. Anthony Davis’ health

Dennis Schroder’s return helped the Los Angeles Lakers slow some of their struggles, but he nor anyone else on the team can mask the challenges LA ultimately faces without Anthony Davis in the lineup.

Nobody checks as many boxes at the defensive end than Davis, who fits into any type of scheme that can ask him to cover all sorts of players. In the nine games he’s missed since injuring his calf, the Lakers have still defended at a top-10 rate, but having Davis not only increases their potency but increases the margin for error elsewhere.

AD’s scoring has dropped to just 22.5 points per game, his lowest mark since his sophomore season. But simply having him on the court offers the type of focal point LA needs to keep LeBron James’ responsibilities in check.

Though the Lakers have lost seven of their last 10 games and sit just 0.5 games ahead of the fourth-seeded Clippers, the defending champions are hardly panicking. There’s an internal belief in their abilities when fully healthy, but getting to there with Davis isn’t as simple as waiting out his absence.

If not treated properly, calf injuries can be the precursor to something worse — see Kevin Durant. Davis might be considered injury prone and he’s coming off the shortest offseason in NBA history after winning the title in 2020.

Whenever Davis returns, many will keep an eye on how he looks and how LA opts to utilize him leading up to the postseason. For the presumed title favorites, that could greatly swing those odds in either direction.