The Los Angeles Lakers are dealing with several injuries right now as they approach the final stretch of the regular season. Ahead of their game tonight, head coach JJ Redick provided the latest update on the return of their veteran superstar, LeBron James.
“Lakers coach JJ Redick said that he’s ‘hopeful’ that LeBron James and Rui Hachimura will play on Saturday against the Chicago Bulls,” wrote Mark Medina.
The Lakers have been decimated by injuries lately and they’ve been without several key players for weeks, including their two starting forwards, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura. Against the Bucks tonight, they were missing half their roster and all but one starter.
LeBron, who turned 40 in December, has been out of action since suffering a groin injury against the Celtics on March 8. Taking a cautious approach with his recovery, the Lakers suspected that LeBron would be out for weeks but he’s been making quick progress.
Last week, he returned to Los Angeles to continue his recovery and JJ Redick says he’s been tagged as day-to-day. After completing sprints and layups around the rim during warmups, it seems that James is on track to make his return on Friday against the Chicago Bulls.
Of course, it’s also possible that the Lakers push back his return even further. Since the Lakers have likely already avoided the play-in tournament, there’s no urgency for them to rush LeBron’s return. It might be smarter to prolong the process as long as possible so that the King can be at full strength for the first round in April.
At 40 years old, any injury to LeBron must be treated like a big deal and it’s why the Lakers are taking extra measures to ensure he’s healthy before returning to action. Of course, his return couldn’t come sooner for the Purple and Gold as they try to hold their ground in a tight race out West.
Without No. 23, the Lakers are 3-4 in their last seven games and have struggled to consistently score. Even in his current state, LeBron is the center of the offense and he’s been the Lakers’ most consistent player for years now. Without his presence, it’s clear that the team has no chance against the Western elites.
In 58 games this season, James is averaging 25.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game on 51.7% shooting. With Anthony Davis, and then Luka Doncic, LeBron has led the Lakers to a top-six seed in the West, and they are just one game back from the second-seeded Rockets.
These final 20 games will be huge for LeBron and the Lakers and it may just determine how far they get in the upcoming playoffs. More than anything, the Lakers will need to be whole for their run and that means LeBron should be exposed to minimal injury risk.
Fortunately, LeBron James should be back soon and he can get right back to building up chemistry with his new teammate and co-star, Luka Doncic.
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