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"We want to see him back on the field at some point before the end of the regular season. I think LeBron's absence has shown that we have many qualities We have many strong players in both halves of the pitch who can help us achieve the goal we have set ourselves.
And when he comes back on the pitch, he will give us everything he is capable of." With these words, The Los Angeles Lakers head coach, Darwin Ham, interviewed before the match they won against Orlando, has released positive statements on LeBron James' return to the field.
LeBron James scored 27 points in the Los Angeles Lakers 131-126 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. With this score, James is less than 36 points away from surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the leading scorer in NBA history.
Even at age 38, James is scoring points at an impressive rate for a player his age: His average of 30.0 points in 43 games would be the third-highest in his 20 NBA seasons. James, as a rookie, averaged 20.9 points per game, and he hasn't dropped below those figures since.
LeBron's come back
The Lakers have a record of 6 wins and 5 losses in games played without James on the court. With a record of 35-37 they are in ninth position in the Western Conference, but the fight for the last places in the playoff zone is hard fought.
LeBron is no longer wearing the brace he initially put on to stabilize his foot, and he has started his first training sessions on the field a week ago. LeBron will turn 39 on December 30, and the injury to his right foot is certainly not to be underestimated.
The medical staff of the Los Angeles team are keeping a close eye on him, and he will make a new evaluation before the end of the week, perhaps as early as Thursday. Only then could we know for sure how James' rehabilitation journey is going.
However, Ham's statements suggest a positive recovery up to now, and therefore it is very probable that we could see him again on the pitch before the end of the regular season.
