Darvin Ham recently revealed in an interview a somewhat positive update about when LeBron James will suit up to help the Los Angeles Lakers secure a playoff berth this season.
Ham stated that “We anticipate him(James) coming back at some point(this season)”.
James has been nursing a foot injury which may have worsened during his chase for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record last month. It was revealed that he continued to play despite the injury, though it was manageable then.
At 38, James is still considered one of the best players in the league as he is averaging 29.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 6.9 APG. Fans and critics have argued that father time has caught up with LeBron but nobody in the league has averaged those numbers and is still playing at a very high level at age 38.
With the Lakers losing back-to-back games against the cellar-dwelling Houston Rockets and fringe playoff team the Dallas Mavericks, they need every ounce of LeBron’s talent and leadership. The Lakers had a chance at the sixth seed in the West but losing both games drastically affected their standings and they now sit at the 11th spot in the brutal Western Conference, just outside the play-in tournament.
Anthony Davis sat out of the Rockets game due to injury management. He returned to play against the Mavs a few days later and even led the Lakers attack with 26 points and 10 rebounds but he committed three crucial mistakes during the last 10 seconds of the game, resulting in a loss. The Lakers need all the help it needs to win most of their remaining games to secure a playoff berth this year and they need every ounce of LeBron’s capabilities for that to happen.
