Could LeBron James return to the Lakers for a playoff push? He tweeted about his status
With their season hanging in the balance, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is reportedly inching toward a potential return to the court.
According to the Los Angeles Times, James has begun on-court activity as he recovers from a right foot tendon injury he suffered February 26. That includes a "gradual basketball movement program," though no specific timetable has been placed for his return. ESPN also reported Thursday that there's an increasing optimism that James, 38, could return for the final few games of the regular season.
This comes three weeks after the Lakers said James would be reevaluated for the injury. In response to the reports, James posted a message Thursday to his verified Twitter account to clarify his status.
"There wasn’t an evaluation today and there hasn’t been any target date for my return," James wrote. "I’m just working around the clock, every day(3X a day) to give myself to best chance of coming back full strength whenever that is. God bless y’all sources. 🤦🏾♂️ I speak for myself!"
What does this LeBron James' injury update mean for the Lakers?
James has missed 12 games with the injury, with Los Angeles managing to go 7-5 in those games, including a massive 122-111 victory against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. The Lakers are currently 36-37, which places them 10th in the Western Conference standings. The field, however, is quite muddied, with Los Angeles being just a half-game back of the current seven-seed Minnesota Timberwolves (37-37). In fact, Los Angeles is only two games back of the No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers (38-35).
If James is able to return for the final few games of the regular season, he very well may provide the boost the team needs to climb into the play-in field, or even the actual playoff field overall. James is averaging 29.5 points per game this season, which would rank him seventh in the NBA, though he does not qualify because he has only appeared in 47 games. He is also averaging 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists. If Los Angeles misses the postseason, it will be just the second time in James' career that it happens.
What are the games remaining on the Lakers schedule?
March 24 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
March 26 vs. Chicago Bulls
March 29 at Chicago Bulls
March 31 at Minnesota Timberwolves
April 2 at Houston Rockets
April 4 at Utah Jazz
April 5 at Los Angeles Clippers
April 7 vs. Phoenix Suns
April 9 vs. Utah Jazz
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James tweets foot injury update as Lakers make playoff push
