Without Davis in most of the game Lakers still remained competitive, but now we saw how important Davis is, without him then I guess Lakers will start tanking again. Davis injury was not so serious though, so hopefully he will be back in a couple of games so their effort will not be wasted.
They did, in fact they still played competitively even against the Raptors today. But still fell short though because none of them exploded unlike when Davis was around with them, Lebron on the other hand played below his average. I reckon that they could've defeated the Cavs on the other day if Davis didn't have to exit the game much earlier.
Here's Davis's update regarding his flu-like symptoms:
Lakers coach Darvin Ham said Davis symptoms gradually got worse during the course of the day.
He also stressed Davis had not tested positive for COVID-19.
https://www.nba.com/news/lakers-anthony-davis-exits-illnessSeems that he will have to get some rest first because his situation got worse that day and it will take him few days before he can play again because I think the league still have the existing rules about flu-like symptoms which he needed to get quarantined first.
I think that the worse is over. Now we know that he will be sidelined very long, just a few days maybe because of COVID restrictions, but that's it. The anxiety that Davis has come down in injury again is already gone. He will come back strong because he will be rested, and that energy hopefully will convert into a win for the Lakers. For now, the remaining roster must do their best and try to win without Davis. They are still a strong team with Westbrook and Lebron, but they need to work together.
Yes, another star or core player that is versatile enough to know which area needed more focus to help the team achieve a victory in almost every game and can match Luka's energy so that he end up carrying the team especially when it comes to intense games. Just like Giannis who have Middleton and Curry who have Thompson. Honestly, that's what they've been lacking and if they can fill up that spot, I bet they can reach farther than what they reached last season.
Luka is still very young and has not yet reached his full potential. There is time for the Mavs to surround him with the supporting cast that he needs to push the team to a championship. Dirk took almost all his career before he became a champion, and it is worth the wait. Luka hopefully will not wait that long before the Mavs figure out the team they need to win. They should have learned now how to support their stars. They at least have 5 years to work it out with Doncic. It is either they develop their young, new recruit or acquire through trades, but they should not waste the opportunity they have with Luka.