After a lengthy absence, LeBron James seems set to return to the court for the Los Angeles Lakers soon.
There have been questions surrounding the superstar’s recovery, and whether he can come back to the court before the regular season ends has been on a lot of folks’ minds lately. But a recent report shows that James has been upgraded from doubtful to questionable to play for Los Angeles’ bout versus the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
Lakers star LeBron James has been upgraded again to questionable for tonight vs. Bulls. The return is near.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 26, 2023
The 38-year-old has not appeared in a Lakers uniform since late February, missing the team’s last 13 contests. While his teammates have definitely missed him on the court, they have actually done well in his absence.
The squad is in a better shape than when James last played. Los Angeles was 29-32 and outside the playoff picture when the four-time MVP went down after exacerbating his right foot injury. But it has gone 8-5 during that stretch to climb the standings and earn the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
The Lakers are likely excited to have their leader suiting up instead of watching from the sidelines.
Despite being one of the NBA’s elder statesmen, James has continued to cement his place among the league’s elite with his sublime performance this season. In 47 games in the 2022-23 campaign, he has averaged 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game while shooting 50.1 percent from the field.
One of the questions that might be surrounding the 19-time All-Star’s potential return on Sunday is how the coaching staff would adjust the team’s rotation and game plans. Without James, the Lakers have heavily relied on Anthony Davis. The star big man has done admirably, recording 27.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks during the 13-game span.
Of course, other players have also stepped up, including D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Austin Reaves also deserves special mention as he has scored in double figures in the last 10 games, averaging 18.9 points and 6.4 assists per match in that stretch. He has also been promoted to the starting lineup in the past two contests.
The Lakers organization and its fans are likely hoping that the team can continue its strong showing and move up further in the standings to earn an outright playoff berth, which seemed implausible earlier in the season.
