The Los Angeles Lakers recently beat the Dallas Mavericks 111-108, and there is no doubt that this was a good win for the team. However, things weren’t all good for the team, despite the win.
During the aforementioned game, LeBron James sustained an ankle injury but ended up staying in the game. After the game, LeBron James provided a concerning update about his injury noting that “it’s been better”.
LeBron James on his foot: “It’s been better.” Said he wasn’t going to go back to the locker room and wanted to finish out the game.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 27, 2023
Hopefully, this injury doesn’t end up forcing LeBron James to miss a lot of time. The Lakers need everyone to be available if they are to make it to the playoffs, especially their superstar. Though they do have the talent to withstand some games without LeBron James, they have a much better margin for error if he plays.
LeBron James is currently averaging 29.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 6.9 APG for the Los Angeles Lakers while shooting 50.1% from the field. He has been playing at a high level individually, and perhaps he can help this Lakers team make some noise in the postseason with his talent.
The Los Angeles Lakers Could Be A Dangerous Team To Face In The Playoffs
The Los Angeles Lakers are a team that has a lot of talent after their mid-season takeover. They added some offense by getting D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley, as well as some defensive-minded players such as Jarred Vanderbilt and Mo Bamba.
NBA analyst Skip Bayless has recently suggested that the Los Angeles Lakers got better after trading Russell Westbrook, noting that he believes they could end up facing the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals.
“The Lakers are 30% better without Westbrook and with all the new additions”, said Skip Bayless. “They’ll go 17-6 in their final 23 and will rise above the play-in. I wouldn’t be surprised if they played Phoenix in the West finals.”
There is no doubt that this is high praise for the Los Angeles Lakers but it is warranted given the way the team has looked thus far. It will definitely be surprising to see them reach the Western Conference Finals, but stranger things have happened in the past. Some people even believe they can win the championship.
The key for the Los Angeles Lakers is simply the availability of their players. If healthy, they can go far, but the key is simply being available. Hopefully, that ends up being the case for them, and perhaps the Lakers will get lucky in regard to their health going forward.
