NBA: 3 storylines to follow heading into the final stretch of the season

NBA storylines to follow in the final stretch of the regular season: How will LeBron James look when he returns?

The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers looked like they were well on their way to possibly repeating as champions, then both Anthony Davis and LeBron James suffered injuries, and now it all but appears that the Lakers will have to enter the playoffs as a lower-seeded team.

But that doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of it all. If the Lakers are going to repeat, it’s because they’re the best team in the league. They are the defending champs. They shouldn’t fear any team in a seven-game series. But what will dictate their performance in the playoffs is how LeBron looks coming off an extended absence.

According to ESPN, LeBron could return to the Lakers’ lineup next week. LeBron has missed a full month of NBA action and they’ll need him to be close to 100 percent as his return will be so close to the playoffs.

Davis has already made his return to the floor and will still have 10-plus games to get back in live-action shape but there’s no guarantee that LeBron will have that luxury.