LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers must be breathing a sigh of relief – they finally reached the coveted .500 against the Thunder. Bron had nothing to do with the victory on the court, though because he’s been on the sidelines for a month nursing a foot injury. He’s missed 13 games in the process, watching his team slowly climb up the ranks.
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Recently, there were concerning reports that LBJ may not be fit enough to return to playing in the regular season. But it looks like things might take a turn. Bron came out on Social Media and gave his update saying, “I speak for myself“. That made all the sources that claimed he was out have eggs on their faces.
And like many things he’s done, Bron is right. In a surprising twist, the Lakers have updated the King’s status to Doubtful against the upcoming doubleheader against the Chicago Bulls. It looks like he has a point to prove, against ex-teammate Patrick Beverley.
According to the Lakers, LeBron James’ status has been upgraded to doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bulls. His first status change since his foot injury.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 25, 2023
LeBron James remains unavailable – but the signs point in the right direction
With the first change in status for the 4x champion, the Laker fans must be excited to see the highest scorer of all time suit up. Their team has been excellent in the month that he has been out, but everyone wants their team to be at full strength. He’s had ankle issues in the past, so rushing him wouldn’t be the best decision.
With Bron returning at the exact right possible time for a late push for the playoffs, if they do manage to make it to the postseason, it will be interesting to see how far they go. Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and Anthony Davis have all hit top form at the right time.
It may be for the first time in three years that the Lakers go past the first round. What happened the last time they did that? Oh, they just went ahead to win it all that season. While that dream may be far-fetched, it goes to show how much things can change in a short period. Make the right moves, and they go very far.
How have the Lakers fared in their talisman’s absence?
8 wins, 5 losses. And in those losses, none of them have been a blowout. Only one of them was by more than 10 points, and that was against the Grizzlies. The loss against Dallas came down to the wire, and Houston only managed to beat them in the third quarter.
Darwin Ham has a glut of selection choices, but he will still hope he gets his no.1 offensive strategy back in time. How will that affect the current rotation, we must wait and see. The team plays more like a team because of its unpredictability. With Bron back in the lineup, they know the ball will go through his hands most of the time.
Even with that knowledge, stopping him once he is in playoff mode is hard. And right now, they are primed to take that spot, compared to their competition.
