Lebron injury update: What do we know about James’ leg?
What has been a historic season so far for the Lakers star, has now been halted by injury. By all accounts it could be a little while before we see him again.
For some time now the NBA’s all-time points leader has been struggling with his foot. Now it seems that the problem has proved to be too much. With that, James will be spending a while on the sidelines, and it goes without saying that’s not ideal for a Lakers team that’s already struggling.
LeBron James sidelined by foot injury
On Sunday night, LeBron James left what was a comeback win for the Lakers against the Dallas Mavericks, with a limp. As things stand now, James is expected to be sidelined for at least the next two weeks, however, reports also indicate that he could be out for longer depending on where the Lakers stand in the West Conference, after his two-week evaluation. In truth, following the win over Dallas, initial reports stated that there were in fact fears that James would be out for a significant period of time. For the moment, that appears not to be the case.
Regarding how the injury actually happened, it was late in the third quarter, when James made a stereotypical drive to the hoop where he met Dwight Powell who fouled him. After falling to the ground, James immediately grabbed his foot in visible pain. A few moments later, James could be heard saying, “I heard it pop.” True to form, James stayed in the game to help his team and as a result, he finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the victory. It’s worth mentioning, that it was the Lakers’ biggest comeback in 21 years, as they overturned a 27-point deficit to stun the Mavericks in Dallas. Of course, the cost of the win appears to be extremely expensive with the team’s best player now due to be absent.
Where are the Lakers at right now?
While there is no good time to lose a player like LeBron James, right here and now, is definitely one of the worst moments it could have happened. To be frank, The Lakers have no wiggle room as they currently sit at 12th in the Western Conference with a record of 29-32. To make matters worse, they will face a very hungry Grizzlies team on Tuesday, followed by a trio of games against play-in contenders starting on Wednesday with the Thunder, followed by the Timberwolves on Friday and then the Warriors on Sunday.
While it’s true that they managed to weather a period without him earlier in the season, they had a healthy Anthony Davis during that time. Having only recently shown signs of a return to form following a two-month absence due to injury, Davis is not what he was during that time. To be clear, the Lakers are 5-9 when James is not on the court, so they are facing a tough task. On the other hand, they do have a new point guard in D’Angelo Russell and the aforementioned Davis - regardless of his ongoing return to form - is still a great player. Ultimately, if they want to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot, the Lakers will have no choice but to push through this period without conceding any losses.