“You always think in the back of your mind, ‘but LeBron, but LeBron’” - Chris Broussard believes LA Lakers’ chances of "doing something are over" in light of Anthony Davis’ ankle injury
NBA analyst Chris Broussard said the LA Lakers' chances of making a title run are over after Anthony Davis' injury against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
Broussard said LeBron James' play could carry Los Angeles into the play-in games, but he has no hope the Lakers will go much further.
The Lakers (27-31) have gone 6-12 since Jan. 9, unable to catch a break with injuries and, thus, unable to get on a roll. Even though James has been an anamoly, with his impeccable play at the age of 37, Los Angeles has struggled with lamentable defense and substandard offense.
Davis' return from a knee injury in late January gave them somewhat of a boost, although the Lakers went 4-6. But hopes of finding chemistry with the James/Davis/Russell Westbrook trio were dashed after the forward suffered a mid-foot sprain. The Lakers announced Thursday that the All-Star forward will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
On Fox Sports' "First Things First," Broussard said:
“You always think in the back of your mind, ‘but LeBron,but LeBron’ ... They'll get in the play-in but their chances of really doing something are over."
"I think it's over for the Lakers. You always think in the back of your mind, 'but LeBron, but LeBron.' ... They'll get in the play-in but their chances of really doing something are over."
— @Chris_Broussard on AD being diagnosed with mid-foot sprain & out for at least 4 weeks: https://t.co/TlqUe9Hg9R
Despite James playing out of his mind, the Lakers look like they might get swept in the first round of the playoffs. They haven't won back-to-back games since early January.
Can LeBron James guide the LA Lakers to a deep playoff run?
A 37-year-old LeBron James mounting an MVP campaign is not surprising. However, a Los Angeles Lakers squad filled with Hall of Famers struggling to make the playoffs is a head-scratcher.
The Lakers' offseason moves, which prioritized scoring over defense, have backfired so far. A top-three defense has turned into a top-20 defense largely due to the perimeter struggles.
This is the end of the lakers season of 2021-2022! They haven’t played defense the whole season and Lebron still playing scoring 30 pts. It’s over with 🤦🏽♀️ twitter.com/WorldWideWob/s…
James is averaging 29.1 points per game, his highest scoring average since 2009-10 (29.7 ppg). And he is playing an average of 36.8 minutes per game, his largest workload since 2017-18 (36.9 mpg).
James' playoff resume shows the Lakers cannot be counted out. And an L.A. team featuring James, Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook are good enough on paper to take on the best. But a first-round matchup against the likes of the Phoenix Suns (48-10) brings the possibility of a first-round sweep.
The idea of the Lakers winning an NBA championship this season seems like a foolish bet at the moment.