Steve Nash's Return from Shin Injury Already Paying Dividends for Lakers

It’s taken X weeks, but Steve Nash is finally ready to return to the Los Angeles Lakers lineup.

PERSON OF SOURCE first reported the news, noting that QUOTE/SET UP TWEET/ETC (note who the first contest back will be against)

Nash had only played a scant 40 minutes in the opening two contests of the 2012-13 season before sitting out for X games with a small fracture in his left fibula. He averaged a mere 4.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds in that pair of matchups, played under former coach Mike Brown.

Much has changed since Nash has been sidelined, as the Lakers brass dismissed Brown and brought in Mike D’Anonti to run the team, watched Pau Gasol slump and eventually be removed (temporarily) from the lineup due to knee issues and, at one point, the team even fell x games below .500.

It’s certainly going to be interesting to see how Nash improves this squad with a familiar offensive system in place.

The Canadian national and D’Antoni famously teamed up from 2004-2008 on the Phoenix Suns, and the coach’s run-and-gun, up-tempo style meshed perfectly with the point guard—who ended up winning two MVPs during his time in the desert.

During L.A.’s early season slump, many supporters were patient and knew that the Lakers cannot be judged until Nash was back in the lineup. Now that he’s finally set to return, we’ll finally get to see what this All-Star starting lineup is capable of.

With Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Metta World Peace, Gasol and Nash all on the floor, the Lakers look unbeatable on paper. It’s a dream team built to compete with the Miami Heat, but we’ll need to see it before we believe it.

Because of the poor start, many doubt this team. It’s up to Nash to restore hope to Laker Nation and prove that he is the right cog to make this complicated machine run smoothly.

We’ll get a chance to see X night when Nash returns to the lineup against Team X.