The Los Angeles Lakers could soon get LeBron James back. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the four-time NBA MVP is looking to get back to action on Tuesday against the New York Knicks at home.
Lakers star LeBron James is targeting Tuesday vs. New York for return to the lineup from sore right ankle, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. If not Tuesday, Wednesday vs. Houston is possible.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 10, 2021
In a separate report, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports offered a clearer look at how LeBron James has progressed over the last couple of days.
Yahoo Source: Lakers star LeBron James (ankle) has had two “really good days of workouts at a high level” and feels “great.” He plans to return Tuesday against Knicks or Wednesday against Rockets.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 10, 2021
James has not played since May 2's 121-114 home loss to the Toronto Raptors. He left that game with just around seven minutes remaining in regulation and did not return due to soreness in his right ankle. Missing their leader, the Lakers have gone 2-2 over their next four games, a stretch that saw them slide all the way down to the dreaded play-in tournament threshold after back-to-back losses to the LA Clippers and the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Lakers, who are coming off a 123-110 win at STAPLES Center Sunday over the Phoenix Suns, don't have the luxury to play it coy with regards to LeBron James' availability, given their current situation. Every game in the Lakers' schedule until the end of the regular season should be treated as a must-win for the defending champions, who are a game behind the sixth-place spot that's currently occupied by the Blazers.
Things would have been a whole lot more convenient for James and the Lakers if they would have to play the going-nowhere Houston Rockets first before the playoff-bound New York Knicks. They will just have to play with the cards they're dealt, and that could mean LeBron James suiting up for the New York game.
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