Report: Anthony Davis could return as soon as next week

After Ramona Shelburne reported yesterday on Jorge Sedano’s “Lockdown” podcast over at ESPN that Anthony Davis was pushing himself hard in rehab this week to test his foot and see if he can return, Adrian Wojnarowski is now reporting that Davis could get back on the floor for the Lakers as soon as next week.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported similarly the night before on his “That’s OD” YouTube show:

Kyle Goon of the O.C. Register further confirmed a similar timetable has long been the hope for Davis and the Lakers:

For more on what the next steps will look like before Davis can return, check out Dr. Brar’s analysis from yesterday. But regardless of which specific game he’s ultimately back in, all of this noise does indicate that Davis is closer to a return than ever, and that there seems to be optimism he’ll be out there for the purple and gold fairly soon.

Davis has missed the last 17 games for the Lakers, who will host the San Antonio Spurs at home on Wednesday, Jan. 25 next week before traveling to Boston for a matchup with the Celtics on Saturday, Jan. 28 and then facing the Nets in Brooklyn on Monday, Jan. 30.

Based on Woj’s wording, the latter two games would certainly seem more likely to be return dates for Davis. If he can’t be back in the lineup by then, his next opportunity would be the next game of the road trip, the second night of a New York back-to-back that will see the Lakers face the Knicks in Madison Square Garden on Monday, Jan. 31.

Including tonight’s matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Lakers only have 10 games left before the Feb. 9 NBA trade deadline to evaluate their team. Needless to say, the more of those that Davis plays in, the better for the team’s decision-makers to most fully evaluate where they stand.