Why Anthony Davis' injury leaves Lakers with more questions than answers vs. Warriors

Anthony Davis has had his fingerprints all over the Western Conference Semifinals.

Now, there's a chance the Lakers will have to figure out how to beat the Warriors without him.

In the fourth quarter of Game 5, Davis was inadvertently struck on the side of the head by Warriors center Kevon Looney. Davis appeared to be in immediate discomfort and left the game. After being evaluated on the bench, he went to the back of the arena and had to be placed in a wheelchair because he reportedly felt "woozy."

Davis was later seen walking out of the arena and was said to be "doing much better" after appearing to have avoided a concussion. According to TNT's Chris Haynes, he is expected to be available for Game 6 barring a setback.

If Davis is unable to go or is limited, what would that mean for the Lakers?

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Why Anthony Davis' injury leaves Lakers with more questions than answers vs. Warriors

The Lakers could go in one of two directions depending on Davis' availability. The first is staying big by starting a more traditional center in his place.

The Lakers have three options on their roster: Wenyen Gabriel, Mo Bamba and Tristan Thompson. The problem? Gabriel doesn't have much experience, Bamba has been listed as questionable for each game of the series with left ankle soreness and has yet to play, and Thompson has logged a total of 18 minutes all season.

Gabriel was at least a part of the team's rotation during the regular season. He appeared in 68 games and posted averages of 5.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 15.1 minutes. Asking him to fill Davis' minutes all by himself would be a tall order, but he's best suited of the three to step into a bigger role.

The second direction the Lakers could go is playing small by moving LeBron James to center.

The Lakers have had success playing James at center in the past. Surrounding him with perimeter players who can open up the floor for him has always been a recipe for success on offense, and he's still strong and versatile enough to guard multiple positions. Those lineups, however, haven't been successful in these playoffs.

Through 11 games, the Lakers have been outscored by a whopping 13.2 points per 100 possessions with James on the court and Davis, Gabriel and Bamba on the bench. Both offense and defense have been a struggle for the Lakers in those minutes.

Even with that being the case, the Lakers might have no choice but to play a lot of small ball if Davis is unable to play. Going to LeBron at center might be their best hope of keeping up with the Warriors, whether it's by leaning even more into shooting or trying to slow the game down as much as possible.

Lakers depth chart

The Lakers lack options at center beyond Davis, but they're still a pretty big team thanks to their forward depth.

How much would the Lakers miss Anthony Davis?

Defensively, Davis has been a monster in these playoffs. Not only is he leading the league with 13.5 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game, but opponents are shooting 18.6 percentage points worse than expected when he's defending the rim. That would've been the best mark in the NBA during the regular season.

The most success the Warriors have had scoring against the Lakers in this series is putting Davis in pick-and-rolls to draw him away from the basket.

Without Davis patrolling the paint, the Lakers have had a tough time stopping them.

Davis hasn't been as consistent offensively, but he's still been good for 21.5 points per game on 52.9 percent shooting from the field. He dominated the Warriors in Game 1 with 30 points and has scored at least 20 points in three straight games. James is the only other player on the roster who can do some of the same things he can as a screener, cutter and finisher.

Safe to say, no Davis would be a huge loss for the Lakers.