The Lakers are finally healthy again... or at least healthy enough to get back on the court.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Dennis Schroder all will all be on the court against the Pacers in an early tip on Saturday, coach Frank Vogel said pregame. LeBron had been out with a sore ankle, Schroder has been in the league’s coronavirus health and safety protocols.
LeBron James will return to the court today at Indiana.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) May 15, 2021
Dennis Schroder, too.
As expected, Anthony Davis will also play today. He missed last game with a sore adductor, but Vogel said they held him out of the Houston game more due to it being the 2nd night of a back to back. He’s good to go.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) May 15, 2021
Vogel on Dennis Schroder's ability to get back on the floor so quickly after a two-week absence for health & safety protocols. "I think his readjustment curve is going to be on the lesser end of some of the other cases we've seen around the league."
— Bill Oram (@billoram) May 15, 2021
The status for all three for Sunday’s game against New Orleans is undecided.
The Lakers have something to play for this weekend — they can still get the No. 6 seed and avoid the play-in. The Lakers would need to win out against Indiana and a shorthanded Pelicans team (no Zion, Ingram, or Ball), and then Los Angeles needs Portland to lose to Denver Sunday (that might be what trips the Lakers up, the Blazers are playing to win and the Nuggets and Clippers are trying to tank their way to the No. 4 seed to get on the other side of the bracket from the Lakers).
The bigger question in all of this is how well LeBron is moving in his return. He came back from his ankle sprain, played a game and three quarters, then left and missed several more games, underscoring the reports LeBron will face ankle pain throughout the postseason. That is a concern.
As is Davis’ latest injury. He had some impressive games in his return, but he’s been bothered by injuries big and small throughout this season.
The Lakers are a top-heavy roster, they need LeBron and Davis to play like two of the five best players on the planet to win a title. Los Angeles also needs Schroder to give them Playoff Rondo levels of performance, and he’s been up and down this season.
Getting all three back on the court is a good sign that the Lakers are on their way to returning to the team that looked like a team ready to repeat early in the season.