“Wish LeBron James had a few more weeks”: Lakers head coach Frank Vogel laments hurried injury comeback timetable for his Finals MVP

Reports say LeBron James is very far from being at full strength during the Lakers’ clash against the Golden State Warriors. 

The LA Lakers have famously been one of the unluckiest franchises in the NBA this season. Despite starting out the year as arguably the best team in the NBA, the Lakers started to fall in the standings early due to injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. And while both players are back, the time lost has caused the team to participate in the play-in tournament.

At the moment, the LakeShow are locked in a close contest with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. And even after considering the opponent’s incredible defense, the King has almost uncharacteristically struggled throughout the game.

Many fans have been worried there could be something incredibly wrong. And as a recent report says, indeed there is.

Also Read: Stephen A. Smith boldly claims he’d prefer to take the Nets superstar over the Lakers MVP on the offensive end of the floor

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel wishes there was more time to help LeBron James

As fans know, the reason LeBron James was sidelined for so long this season, was a high ankle sprain he suffered against the Atlanta Hawks. And after his return, the player has aggravated the injury more than once.

He had done so during the franchise’s last regular-season game as well. But, because he was included in the starting lineup today, many hoped it was nothing serious.

Dashing those hopes, however, Frank Vogel had this to report going into the game.

Frank Vogel confirms that Andre Drummond is starting at center tonight. He adds that LeBron “is not full strength, but he’s getting there… we would have loved a couple more weeks to get him where he wants to be.”

— Play-in Game Faigen (@hmfaigen) May 20, 2021

As of the time of this writing, the game is early in its third quarter. James has played 18 minutes. But only has 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, while shooting 12.5% from the field.

Not a good sign for fans of the reigning champions.

Also Read: Skip Bayless berates Lakers star for abysmal first half outing against Warriors during their play in game

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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