Anthony Davis Leaves Game with Eye Injury (NBA 2024-25 Season Update)

The Lakers star center Anthony Davis, one of the bright spots on the team during their rather tumultuous early season, appears to have once again injured his eye in what could be a problem for Los Angeles over the next few weeks.

The injury occurred in the third quarter of the Lakers vs. Suns game, when Davis jumped up and blocked a dunk by Toronto Center Jakob Poeltl. After deflecting the shot, Poeltl accidentally hit Davis in the eye and caused him to fall down to the court.

The big man continued to writhe in pain for a few minutes before eventually being helped to the locker room by the staff.

He still ended the night with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks in what would eventually be a win for the Lakers, but the news is still cause for concern.

While there was no official report on what exactly happened to the big man, coach J.J. Redick did reveal that Davis experienced a few vision issues after the collision and that he would continue to be monitored going forward.

A Potentially Recurring Issue

Davis suffered a corneal abrasion in his left eye twice last season, which caused him to leave two games (March 16th against the Warriors and April 7th against the Timberwolves) early. This injury appears to be in a similar vein, and could even be a re-aggravation of the same issue.

Though he did consult with his eye doctors last season after the injuries occurred, he ultimately decided not to wear goggles like he did when he played youth basketball. If the current damage proves to be another abrasion, that might change.

Eye injuries are typically painful, but not long term

However, repeated impacts to the same cornea could lead to serious complications that would need to be dealt with in a much bigger way. As such, Davis is likely going to need to take it easy going forward.

The team undoubtedly hopes that the center can stay healthy, but the big man has suffered a slew of injuries during his career. He did play a career-high 76 games last season, but he’s already missed one game this year with a bruised heel. Los Angeles just hopes his eye won’t cause him to miss many more.

Following Up on the Contact

While Davis’ exact injury is unknown, sources have said that he did have some swelling from the hit that made it difficult to open his left eye. He plans on visiting an ophthalmologist as a “precautionary” measure as well. Beyond that, the Lakers are in the dark.

Regardless of what happens with the center, the Lakers are going to do everything they can to keep him on the court.

He’s averaging:

• 32.4 points
• 11.3 rebounds
• 2.8 assists
• 1.4 steals
• 2 blocks

in 36.3 minutes per game this season with no signs of slowing down.

He already has six 30-point games this year, and is currently the scoring points per game leader. He’s been incredibly dominant and is one of the main reasons Los Angeles is above .500. They could likely stay afloat without him, but it would be a much, much harder road.

An Uncertain Few Weeks

Though Los Angeles may take some time to adjust if Davis does have to miss time, they have a stopgap in Jaxson Hayes. The big man filled in once the big man went down, putting together three dunks and a layup.

Though that’s not the most impressive statline, his strong play and in-key presence were both strong. He doesn’t need to take over games like Davis, he just needs to be reliable. That’s something his teammates definitely noticed.

Turns out Los Angeles may be ok after all.

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