Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons they will not win the 2020-21 NBA title

3. Anthony Davis and LeBron James are dealing with major injuries for the Los Angeles Lakers

Anthony Davis has missed the last 26 games with an Achilles injury, one that was bothering him even before he was shut down. This sort of injury is incredibly scary for a basketball player, as history suggests it both lingers and severely saps a player’s lift and lateral agility.

For Davis, those are two of the things that make him truly special. His ability to contest shots at the rim and on the perimeter is tied to his incredible leaping ability, and his lateral movement on the perimeter can devastate opposing guards and wings that think they’ve won by getting the big to switch onto them.

There is no guarantee that Davis is back in a week or two as has been reported. He could easily need more time or start to ramp up and be shut down again. More terrifying is the possibility he returns and then tears the Achilles entirely, a story all-too-familiar for fans of Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors. Durant took nearly 18 months off to rehab his torn Achilles and still has dealt with compensation injuries since. A torn Achilles could doom the Lakers’ title chances for this year and next.

Davis is not the only Lakers star nursing a significant injury. LeBron James is currently out with a high ankle sprain, an injury rare in basketball but more common in the NFL. There we have seen players try to come back too soon and be a shell of themselves. Whenever James comes back, there is a very high probability he will be less than 100 percent.

James is one of the most durable superstars in NBA history, and he could certainly prove to be a fast healer in this instance as well. Yet he is 36 years old, and as the body ages, it becomes slower in reverting back to its optimal state. The playoffs are coming up quickly, and the Lakers could reach them with their two stars still out, hobbled, or at risk for reinjury.