NBA News Today: LeBron James will need significant time to ramp up for return; Milwaukee Bucks become first team to clinch playoff spot, and more
LA Lakers star forward LeBron James is reportedly making steady progress in his right foot injury rehab. However, he's expected to need significant time to ramp up for his eventual return.
In other news, the Milwaukee Bucks became the first team to clinch a playoff spot on Tuesday (March 14) night. On that note, here's the latest news from around the NBA as of March 15, 2023.
LeBron James will need significant time to ramp up for return
LeBron James has been out since Feb. 26 due to a right foot injury. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, James is making progress in his recovery but will likely need multiple more weeks to ramp up for a return.
Charania broke down James’ situation during a recent appearance on “The Rally:”
"I'm told his right foot is feeling much better. He was seen shooting on the court today, shooting free throws, for the first time since that injury that he had. There's still no concrete timetable for him to return to activities or return to action. I'm told he's still a ways away and the Lakers are bracing as if he will need a significant chunk of the remainder of the regular season to ramp up for a return.
"There's one and a half more weeks until he's going to be re-evaluated again by the Lakers and the likelihood is that he's going to be out beyond that. There's three and a half weeks left in the regular season so he's going to need all the time to really heal up from that injury. He needs all the weeks he can get."
LeBron James is averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 0.9 steals per game on 50.1% shooting through 47 games. The Lakers (34-35, tenth in the West) are 10-12 without James this season.
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Milwaukee Bucks become first team to clinch playoff spot
With their 116-104 win over Phoenix on Tuesday (March 14 night, the Milwaukee Bucks became the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season. The Bucks (50-19, first in the East) also became the first team to reach 50 wins. Milwaukee is a full three games ahead of the next closest team in the standings.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer spoke about the achievement after the game, explaining that his team shouldn’t take the moment for granted:
"Making the playoffs in this league is hard. You should never take anything for granted. Sometimes I forget about celebrating."
Meanwhile, Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo added that the team just needs to stay humble and keep improving:
“We are good. We are in a good place right now. We got to keep on learning, staying humble."
With just 13 games remaining this season, the Bucks can now start gearing up for another potential championship run. Milwaukee has a chance to win its second title in three years after falling in Game 7 of the second round against Boston last season.
Also Read: "Give this man his trophy he’s the MVP damnit": NBA Fans react to Milwaukee Bucks becoming the first team to reach the NBA Playoffs
NBA insider thinks Ja Morant might not play again this season
Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant remains away from the Grizzlies indefinitely following his gun-brandishing incident at a Colorado nightclub.
Morant has reportedly entered a counseling programme in Florida to help him “work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and (his) overall well-being." The hope from fans is that Morant will be able to return to the team after a short time in counseling. However, according to Andscape’s Marc J. Spears, Morant may not play again this season.
During an appearance on "The Hoop Collective" podcast, Spears briefly touched on the concerns he has heard surrounding Morant’s well-being:
"I think there's a lot going on. My prayers to him, that he figures it out. There's things I'm hearing that I'd rather probably not say on this podcast. I hope he's taking care of himself. I'm not really worried about the basketball part for him right now, I'm worried about the human part.
"When he does come back, he's healthy mentally and physically. My guess now is, not that you'd bet on this, that he doesn't play the rest of the season as he takes care of himself."
Ja Morant is averaging 27.1 ppg, 6.0 rebounds, 8.2 apg and 1.1 spg on 46.3% shooting through 53 games.
Memphis (41-26, second in the West) is 7-7 without Morant this season.
Also Read: “That could cost him upwards of $30 Million” – Shams Charania speculates Ja Morant losing fortune due to uncertain return timeline
Anthony Davis ruled out for second night of back-to-back against Houston
LA Lakers star forward Anthony Davis will miss Wednesday (Mar. 15)'s pivotal game against Houston.
LA’s front office has decided to hold Davis out, as the game will mark the second night of a back-to-back. Davis previously missed 20 straight games from mid-December till late January due to a stress fracture in his right foot. So it appears that the Lakers are being extra cautious with Davis as part of his injury management.
Following the Lakers’ 123-108 win over New Orleans on Tuesday, Davis spoke about his frustration with having to rest during a critical game:
"It's tough. Especially with the position we are in, obviously, you want to go out and play, but before I even came back, it's something the doctors and organization discussed that it will be best for me not to play back-to-backs.
"Even though I'm not feeling the pain and everything, it's still an active injury... We're doing all the right things to make sure that I am ready to go. ... At the end of the day with an injury like that, you don’t want it to go to the other side."
LA is already without LeBron James, so the team will be shorthanded on Wednesday. That comes as LA (34-35, tenth in the West) is fighting to secure a playoff berth. Fortunately for James and Co., they take on a struggling Houston team (16-52, 15th in the West).
Davis is averaging 26.1 ppg, 12.6 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.0 spg and 2.1 bpg on 56.1% shooting through 44 games. The Lakers are 12-13 without Davis this season.
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