By all accounts, this season should be basically over for the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James is set to miss weeks, Anthony Davis’ durability remains a huge question mark, and they are 4 games below .500 for 11th in the West.
And now, there is some real concern regarding the ankle injury to their starting point guard, D’Angelo Russell. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Lakers insider Allen Sliwa explained why things might not be going well with Russell’s healing process.
“I could tell you this much,” said Sliwa. “We saw him warm up pregame. He did not look like somebody that was ready to come back on Sunday. Now, I could be wrong. But he just wasn’t doing real drills. He wasn’t kind of sprinting and cutting and everything else. That actually concerned me a little bit. I thought, at least in my opinion, I thought that hopefully he’d be a little bit further in his progress.”
D’Angelo was thought to miss only a few games, but he hasn’t played since February 23rd, when he logged just 8 minutes in L.A.’s 13-point win over the Golden State Warriors.
On paper, with Anthony Davis healthy, the Lakers certainly have enough to stay competitive and secure a play-in spot but that challenge only gets harder the more games Russell misses from here on out.
Can The Lakers Make Noise In The Western Conference Playoffs?
The path to the postseason is not an easy one for the Lakeshow. Even with the new additions (like Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt), Los Angeles is going to struggle without the services of King James.
Somehow, in his 20th season, LeBron was having his best statistical campaign as a Laker and he elevates the team’s ceiling when he’s on the floor.
Sadly, it will be some time before James takes the court again, and that’s if he even comes back at all this season. It’s been a common theme for LeBron of late, who turned 38 in December.
At this point, it seems like LeBron’s season depends on how the Lakers manage these next few weeks without him. If they hold the fort down and Anthony Davis stays healthy, it could set up the franchise to make a serious run against all odds. Having D’Angelo Russell back and 100% would certainly help improve those odds.
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