LeBron James has been looking forward to securing his 5th championship since he last won with the Lakers in 2020. But it has been a journey through the downhill road from 2021 onwards. The squad has not been able to reach the postseason last year. James himself mentioned that not playing in the postseason two years in a row is not in his DNA. This year, the all-time leading scorer tried his best to help the Lakers get to a playoff stage until he got injured. Before that, he was in an impeccable touch.
The four-time All-Star was averaging almost 30.0 points per game. He even broke Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s 38-year-old record. LeBron James, at 38, is also cruising to the top of the all-time assists list. He is currently the 4th in line. But James mentioned that beyond all the individual accolades, he cherishes the championship titles the most. Apparently, without Anthony Davis and most other players injured, LeBron was the only hope for the Lakers. But because of sitting out because of the foot injury, the Akron Hammer is unable to help his squad take the lead. And the most important question that’s going around among the fans is: when will LeBron James return?
Coach Says LeBron James Can Return In The 22-23 Season
There is a new update: head coach Darvin Ham revealed that LeBron would be back before the end of the season. After James was gone, it became evident that the team has got a lot of weapons that can help the franchise reach its goal. But the coach and the team’s point guard, Dennis Schroder, mentioned that LeBron James has been working extremely hard on his body to get back in the lineup as soon as he can. He was supposed to be re-evaluated in three weeks. However, when Anthony Davis came back, it looked perfect for the purple and gold brigade.
Then again, things fell apart with LeBron’s injury during the match against the Mavericks. The Lakers won the game but lost James for several matches. At first, the doctor said that he would be out for more or less a couple of weeks. But when LeBron James came to the court to cheer for his team, he wore a walking boot. Clearly, it did not look good. Later, there were more speculations as if LeBron might miss the whole season. Or he can return to the current season only if the Lakers make the postseason. This is because he won’t be ready during the regular season.
How Far The Lakers Can Go Without LeBron?
Last, James was practicing free throws before an NBA game. But the coach said that there is a chance LeBron James coming back in the season raises the hopes of the Lakers fans. Darvin Ham shared this information before the match against the Orlando Magic that ended on a happy note for the Lakers. On Sunday, the purple and gold brigade defeated the Magic 111-105. The Lakers are below the Timberwolves at the 10th seed currently. But they share the same win-loss ratio. The Lakers will hope to stay in the top ten until LeBron James returns.
Only three weeks to go and ten games remaining for the Lakers, making it a very delicate situation. The Lakers cannot afford any more losses and no more injury concerns if they want to make the postseason. Darvin Ham’s side has done better than expected without LeBron James. The Lakers have won six and lost five. It all depends on Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell. But other players like Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt have also played crucial roles.