The 2020-21 season has been less than ideal for the Los Angeles Lakers, who only had a 71-day offseason after winning the NBA Championship in the Orlando bubble last October.
The Lakers have seemingly been short-handed all season, and recently they have been forced to play without both of their stars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Davis was the first to go down, having last played on Feb. 14 before suffering a calf/Achilles injury. Although it was just a strain, the Lakers made it clear from the beginning that they would proceed with caution to ensure the injury does not become something more serious.
James has been out since March 20 after going down with a high ankle sprain in the loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Ankle injuries typically aren’t as serious as Achilles, but there is no doubt the Lakers are also being cautious with James so he is healthy in for another postseason run.
The Lakers have been treading water without their two stars, but with the playoffs just around the corner, the hope is that both will be back in the lineup sooner rather than later. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN provided updates on both before L.A.’s game against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, and that looks to be the case:
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis will be re-evaluated by team doctors in L.A. this week and could return to play in the next 10 to 14 days and LeBron James could be right behind him, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Davis, out since Feb. 14 with a calf strain and tendinosis in his right leg, will be examined on Thursday after the Lakers return from their current five-game, East Coast road trip, sources said.
And James, who suffered a high right ankle sprain three weeks ago, is on track be back in the lineup in three weeks, sources said.
This is good news for the Lakers as their championship odds come and go with James and Davis, so it’s positive to see that they are both progressing and nearing a return to the court.
Other Lakers also dealing with injuries
The Lakers are also currently without some other key players like Kyle Kuzma, Marc Gasol and Wesley Matthews, who are all dealing with minor nagging injuries. While this season has been less than ideal, all of the Lakers’ goals are still in front of them, so hopefully they can all get healthy in time for L.A. to defend its title.
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