Even though the regular season was filled with injuries for the Los Angeles Lakers, they were able to get healthy before the start of the postseason and have largely remained that way ever since.
The only player that has missed games for the Lakers in the playoffs is center Mo Bamba, who is still dealing with an ankle injury.
Bamba originally suffered a high ankle sprain on March 5 against the Golden State Warriors in just his seventh game with the team after being acquired at the trade deadline. The injury kept Bamba out for a month, although he was able to return for the start of the playoffs.
Despite being out of the rotations to start the postseason, Bamba’s ankle was still giving him issues and he has now been inactive for the entire second round series against the Warriors. Reports indicated he received an injection on the ankle to help with the recovery process.
If the Lakers are able to advance though, Bamba told Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he could be available to return in the Western Conference Finals:
Lakers center Mo Bamba (left ankle soreness) told @andscape he believes he could be available for the Western Conference Finals if his team advances.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) May 11, 2023
Without Bamba available, the Lakers have been going with a smaller rotation with either LeBron James or Rui Hachimura at center when Anthony Davis is on the bench. Wenyen Gabriel has also played some limited minutes.
The Lakers have been able to get away with that against the smaller Warriors, but they may need some size if they advance to the Western Conference Finals where they would take on two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
Even though it’s been a while since Bamba has played meaningful minutes, it would be good to have an extra seven-footer to throw at Jokic if needed in that series. It remains to be seen if Bamba will indeed be able to return, but it looks like he’s making progress which is good to see.
Davis expected to be available for Game 6 against Warriors
The Lakers dealt with another injury scare after Davis was hit in the head by Warriors center Kevon Looney in the fourth quarter of Game 5.
Davis was forced to miss the rest of the game, but after being tested for a concussion, he appears to be OK and should be available for the Lakers as they look to close out the series in Game 6.
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