Getty Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Nothing has gone the Los Angeles Lakers way this season, from poor results to difficulties remaining healthy.
However, according to Darvin Ham, the Lakers are slowly heading toward a healthy roster, with Anthony Davis, Lonnie Walker IV, and Austin Reaves all trending in a positive direction with their respective recoveries.
The Lakers, battered and never above .500, are very much still in the playoff conversation thanks to a jumbled West
“Lonnie is trending in the right direction, Austin is trending in the right direction, AD looked really good. He was out on the floor a little bit today…So we’re right on course of what we want to get done in terms of getting them back in the lineup,” Darvin Ham told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.
The Lakers currently sit 13th in the Western Conference but are just 1.5 games behind the Phoenix Suns, who occupy the 10th seed. Assuming that Anthony Davis is able to recapture his early season form, and a full-strength Lakers squad can put a run of wins together, they still have a significant chance at making the post-season, or at the very least, the play-in tournament.
LeBron James Laments Lakers Injury Issues
During LeBron James’ January 13 post-game press conference following the Lakers’ 119-115 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks, the 38-year-old superstar lamented his team’s lack of continuity throughout the season.
“It’s not about trust, because we have trust with whoever is on the floor…But at the end of the day, teams have closing lineups. And we got so many guys that are in and out of the lineup, and right now, we got a lot of guys that are banged up. So, it’s almost like, who is in a good rhythm that night is going to be probably on the floor along with myself and Russ,” LeBron said.
The Lakers will be hoping that their returning stars can help them find some continuity with their lineups and rotations, thus giving them a better understanding between each other as they enter the final stretch of close games.
LeBron James Likely To Retire A Laker
According to ESPN’S Zach Lowe, on a January 10 episode of The Lowe Post Podcast, there is a growing belief that LeBron will end his career with the Lakers as long as they continue to rebuild their roster into a championship contender.
“I keep hearing he wants to stay with the Lakers…He wants to finish his career with the Lakers. His comments, though, should be interpreted as his patience is not infinite, and if this is just a continued morass of losing, maybe that changes. But if you force me to bet, I’d still bet on him finishing his career with the Lakers. And I’d feel pretty confident in that,” Lowe said.
Despite his advancing years, LeBron has been spectacular this season, averaging 29 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game while shooting 50.3% from the field, 28.5% from deep, and 74.7% from the free-throw line. Still, LeBron joined the Lakers to chase championships, and as such, will likely be hoping Rob Pelinka and the front office begin to make moves in the coming weeks.