Lakers veteran Jared Dudley says he’ll return from torn MCL before playoffs begin

Los Angeles Lakers veteran forward Jared Dudley has missed the majority of the 2020-21 season with a torn MCL, but he thinks he will return prior to this year’s playoffs.

Dudley, 35, didn’t play much of a role in the Lakers’ rotation prior to his injury, but he does offer the team with a solid veteran presence and is a good voice on the bench.

The Lakers have fallen all the way to the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference without LeBron James in the lineup, but they got a much-needed win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

This season, Dudley has appeared in 11 games for the Lakers and averaged 0.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.

The Lakers have dealt with injuries to James, Dudley, Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma, Dennis Schroder and others this season as they try to defend their title.

If the Lakers can get most, if not all, of their key players back by the playoffs, they should be able to make a run in the West.