Anthony Davis injury: NBA insider says LA Lakers forward suffering issue which ended Yao Ming's career and caused Joel Embiid to miss 2 years

The LA Lakers are hoping Anthony Davis can get back sooner rather than later to help LeBron James carry the team into the postseason. There are already reports surfacing that the superstar big man could potentially return next week for the purple and gold franchise.

Things, however, may not be that sunny, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne on the Jorge Sedano podcast. Here’s what Shelburne had to say about Davis’ road to recovery:

(18:42 mark)

"Let’s back up and frame the whole situation a little bit better. The injury he has is a really scary injury for any big man, really for anybody, but especially for a big man.

"It’s the same kind of injury Joel Embiid had when he was a rookie and caused him a couple of seasons. It’s the same kind of injury Yao Ming had that ended his career. The stress reaction [injury] is scary which is why they [Lakers] have been so cautious with it. Can it get worse? This one can get worse."

Anthony Davis just played 17 minutes in the LA Lakers’ 126-108 win over the Denver Nuggets last Dec. 16. He didn’t return for the second half and has since missed the Lakers' past 17 games.

AD was later informed that he had a stress reaction to his navicular bone. It’s an injury that could lead to a more problematic stress fracture if it doesn’t heal well through rest and rehab.

Joel Embiid had almost the same type of injury which caused him to miss the first two seasons of his NBA career. He had surgery on a broken navicular bone that refused to heal as expected.

Ditto for legendary Chinese superstar Yao Ming, who played nine seasons in the NBA. He sat out the entire 2009-10 campaign due to the same injury and played just five games after that before ultimately retiring.

Embiid nearly quit before his NBA career began, while Yao prematurely ended his due to the same debilitating issue.

Anthony Davis avoided surgery as it could cost him this season. He is reportedly pain-free at the moment. AD, however, could still miss more games if he's foot doesn't heal as the Lakers hope it will.

Anthony Davis is unlikely to return in the next two weeks

The LA Lakers' playoff aspirations are likely doomed without Anthony Davis.

This week and next will be crucial for Anthony Davis and the LA Lakers. He is expected to really test his right foot during the ramp-up of his conditioning. How he responds to that could determine his and the Lakers’ season.

Here’s Ramona Shelburne on Anthony Davis’ potential return:

(20.00 mark)

“It’s been a month [since the injury]. You can’t go light for a month and then all of a sudden have your wind and conditioning to play an NBA game.

"I’m sure he’s been able to do some type of conditioning that’s not load-bearing but it’s not the same as running up and down a basketball court. Could he play next week? I would be highly skeptical of that just because of how cautious I know they have been with it. Early February or before the trade deadline? Maybe, if everything goes right.

The LA Lakers could kiss their playoff hopes goodbye if Anthony Davis can't return or will be compromised.