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The Los Angeles Lakers have been hit really hard by injuries this season. Every starter on Day 1 of the season has missed multiple games. They’ve been missing Anthony Davis for months now and LeBron James for weeks. While the team could stay afloat without the other starters, not having their two superstars has made things very difficult.
The Lakers are staying really quiet on when we might see LeBron and Davis return but it could be soon. Marc Stein of The New York Times recently suggested that Davis could be returning at the end of the team’s current road trip while LeBron could be back by the end of the month. If that turns out to be true, the Lakers have to be feeling a lot better about things. Based on a recent Instagram post by LeBron, it sounds like he’s expecting to return to the court with Davis soon.
LeBron’s caption certainly sounds like he believes he’ll soon be ready for his triumphant return.
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Jared Dudley Provides Lakers Injury Update
As previously noted, the Lakers haven’t given the media much when it comes to the injury statuses for LeBron and Davis. Head coach Frank Vogel has used the phrase “a ways away” when talking about Davis at several points. Jared Dudley is not as good at keeping quiet. The veteran forward decided to drop some really good insight on how the two superstars are coming along.
“AD is coming along, he’s on the court and doing definitely his little workouts, his calves, I’m in the weight room with him,” Dudley said on the LakeShow podcast. “He’s gonna be getting on the floor more this week, he’s gonna do about 30 minutes non-stop. He’s gonna get to playing here shortly and do give him a couple more weeks. ‘Bron just got out of the boot, he’s moving forward. And Drummond is back, so listen, within the next 3-4 weeks we’re gonna have everybody back and then we’re rolling.”
This is some really good information from Dudley. It sounds like he’s been working out with the two superstars so he’d have a good idea of when they can come back. Having everybody back on the court in three weeks would be huge.
Lakers Staying Afloat
While things could be better for the Lakers since LeBron got hurt, they could also be a lot worse. The team has gone 4-4 since they lost their leader. Putting up a .500 record without either of their superstars is a very good sign. Los Angeles has dropped to the fifth seed in the Western Conference but that shouldn’t be a cause for concern.
Homecourt advantage won’t mean much to a veteran time as the Lakers have. Also, it’s highly unlikely stadiums will be packed again in time for the playoffs. As long as Los Angeles can stay in reach of the sixth seed, they should be feeling good. Obviously, they’d like to avoid having to play in the play-in game before the playoffs. With Andre Drummond getting back on the court and the two superstars possibly returning soon, the Lakers should be just fine.
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