When LeBron James went down with a right foot tendon injury in late February, many assumed that the Los Angeles Lakers’ chances of making the playoffs were all but gone.
But they have won four of the six games he has missed since then, and according to Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, James seems to be progressing nicely. He was also seen on Sunday without a walking boot.
LeBron James has entered Crypto without a walking boot. 👀
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) March 13, 2023
LeBron James is back with the team for the Lakers' game against the Knicks, after about a week away. Lakers coach Darvin Ham said it "was good for him to unplug a little bit." As for the progress of James' right foot injury, Ham said: "Everything is going according to plan."
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 13, 2023
The four-time MVP was seen making his way into Crypto.com Arena on Sunday for his team’s game against the New York Knicks, and he seemed to be walking pretty normally.
LeBron walking into Crypto tonight no sign of a limp or boot pic.twitter.com/CvNxzECXVs
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) March 13, 2023
At the time of the injury, the Lakers announced that he would be re-evaluated about three weeks later, which means the earliest he could realistically return would be near the end of March.
Over most of the past two seasons, they wouldn’t have been able to win the majority of their games without him. However, this is a different Lakers team.
Last month’s miraculous Russell Westbrook trade brought them point guard D’Angelo Russell, forward Jarred Vanderbilt and shooting guard Malik Beasley, and an earlier trade also netted them forward Rui Hachimura. All of a sudden, they’re a deep squad that features several supporting players who can provide supplementary scoring, ball-handling and facilitating.
In Friday’s win over the Toronto Raptors, L.A.’s bench scored 61 points, which is a feat that was unthinkable over the past two to three seasons.
The Purple and Gold have also been getting it done on the defensive end, as they have possessed the NBA’s best defensive rating since the trade deadline.
At ninth place in the Western Conference, the Lakers have been climbing the standings even without James, and they are within striking distance of getting the sixth spot, which they have said is their goal.
If James returns soon enough, they could be a very scary team once the NBA playoffs start.
