With Kobe Bryant now being out indefinitely with an ankle sprain, the Los Angeles Lakers are in need of an added scoring option if they hope to remain in the playoff picture.

Lucky for them, star forward Pau Gasol is expected to make his return next week from a torn plantar fascia in his right foot, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"Everything else is possible. I'm not going to hold myself back if I think I'm ready to play," Gasol said Wednesday. "There's not many games left in the season and every game will be valuable to us.

"We're keeping our options open. We're trying to see how I progress over the next few days."

Gasol hasn't stepped on the court since Feb. 5 against the Brooklyn Nets. He was initially supposed to be sidelined at least six to eight weeks, with the sixth week mark being Tuesday, meaning he might return earlier than that.

Gasol was coming off the bench when he was injured, but is expected to return to the starting lineup next week in place of the struggling Earl Clark, unless conditioning reasons call for him to come off the bench for a game or two.

Gasol is experiencing his worst season since his rookie year in Memphis (2001-02). He is averaging 13.4 points, which would be a career low if it doesn't improve, and shooting only 45.3%, also a potential career low.

Still, the return of Gasol to the offense will be welcomed by the team as the head into the playoffs.