The Los Angeles Lakers are back in the Play-In Tournament picture and head coach Darvin Ham suggests LeBron James will be back soon.
If you are a Los Angeles Lakers fan that is faint of heart, buckle up. In all likelihood, the next few weeks (the final stretch of the regular season) is going to be one heck of a rollercoaster for the Lakers that are trying to hammer down a playoff spot (or a spot in the Play-In Tournament). Quite frankly, the Lakers will take either one at this point.
The most recent update heading into the start of a new week – good news. The Lakers are currently 10th in the Western Conference standings and are clinging to the final Play-In Tournament spot (after a key win over the Orlando Magic Sunday night). Of course, a lot can change between now and tomorrow, but there was another bit of good news that the Lakers just got.
According to Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, the expectation is that LeBron James will be back before the end of the season. LeBron has missed the past three weeks with a foot injury and is expected to be reevaluated at some point this week. After that, there’s a chance we get a much clearer picture of when (or if) LeBron could return.
The Lakers are in a good spot in the West standings
Considering that the Lakers do have a favorable schedule down the stretch, even though the team is just clinging to the final spot in the Play-In Tournament, they have to feel good about their chances to sneak into the postseason.
Even more so if LeBron does end up returning for the final week or two of the regular season. His presence alone on the bench in a uniform could give the team the exact jolt that they may need to make that final push into the postseason.
In his most recent absence, the Lakers have done well to remain afloat. In the past three weeks, the Lakers are 6-5. With just 10 games remaining on their schedule, you’d have to imagine that winning five of their final 10 may be enough to get them in the postseason. At least in my mind, 40 wins should be enough for this team to punch its ticket into the Play-In Tournament.
The question is, will the Lakers be able to get there? And will they have LeBron in their pursuit?