The Los Angeles Lakers are above .500 for the first time in a while, and their ambitions have grown to match. But even as the Lakers consider their chances for a Finals run, the health and durability of LeBron James remains their biggest x-factor.
After injuring his foot a few weeks ago, James was forced to miss a significant chunk of time and the lakers managed to stay afloat without him. If they want to go further, however, they’ll need LeBron as close to 100% as possible, even though he himself admitted that he’s not quite there yet.
“It’s getting better,” James said, via The Athletic. “My rhythm is still not quite there yet as it was before the injury, but I was out for four weeks. I understand that. So, I think each game, each minute, as my wind starts to get back too, I can play a little bit longer in spurts. But I was happy to be able to get two dunks – one in transition, the other one in a halfcourt set – and seeing my foot kind of react to it and the rest of the body too.”
LeBron finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists against the Timberwolves on Friday — and while those aren’t the finest numbers we’ve seen from James, it was good enough to get the win against fellow play-in contender.
Today, they are 7th in the standings with a real chance to avoid the play-in entirely.
Can The Lakers Make A Playoff Run This Year?
Of course, where the Lakers finish isn’t entirely in their control. For a sixth place position, teams will need to lose down the stretch. Still, LeBron is confident and hopeful that a strong performance in these last few games will be enough for his team to steal a top 6 record and secure a guaranteed playoff spot.
“We go 8-5, and now we’re sitting at a chance to be able to, ‘Hell with play-in, we actually can be a top-six seed,’ that definitely changed my mindset on me coming back and trying to be a part of this,” LeBron said. “I don’t wanna say changed my mindset, it just enhanced what I was trying to do as far as my workouts and treatment went.”
Clearly, LeBron pushed himself back because he sensed an opportunity to do something incredible. So far, all seems to be going well for him and his return but things can change in an instant for the Lakers, who are just trying to hang on until the end.
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