LeBron James returned Sunday from a right foot injury, but the Los Angeles Lakers’ three-game winning streak ended in a 118-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls. James finished the game with 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes
The Lakers announced less than an hour before the tip that James would be available after missing the last 13 games. He tested his foot in the pre-game warm-up and was deemed good for the Sunday matinee. However, James was not part of the Lakers’ starting lineup. Instead, James came off the bench for the second time in his NBA career (1,680 games, counting playoffs) and for the first time since 2007.
James said his injury was actually a tendon rupture, which typically takes much longer than four weeks to recover. In fact, several doctors recommended season-ending surgery, but James sought another opinion from the “LeBron James feet” and was able to return to the field on Sunday.
The injury itself came in the middle of a Feb. 26 clash with the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers were as much as 27 points behind in the game, but James played through the injury to help the Lakers complete the comeback. He finished that contest with 26 points, eight rebounds and three assists but has been sidelined since.
The Lakers did more than tread water in his absence. They went 8-5 without James and after spending most of the season ranked 13th in the Western Conference standings, they were up to 8th. After Friday’s win over Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers brought .500 for the first time this season. With the loss to the Bulls, they’re now back below .500 at 37-38 and slipped to 9th in the muddled playoff picture.
Of course, getting into the postseason is one thing. Winning there is another. A limping James would have made a real playoff run almost impossible. Anthony Davis kept the team afloat without James. Austin Reaves has emerged as a key starter and handler with the ball, but ultimately this team’s postseason dreams hinge on having two superstars. James is one of them, and the roster around him looks significantly stronger since the Lakers traded Russell Westbrook for D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt on deadline day.
After Sunday, the Lakers have seven games left on their schedule. LeBron still has time to quickly prepare for a postseason run. In 2021, James was returning from an injury with just two games left in the regular season and was never quite himself in a first-round loss to Phoenix. With more time to work, however, the Lakers have never looked for a major threat looking for the postseason than today.