How serious is LeBron James’ foot injury? Latest update on LA Lakers’ superstar injury and possible return date
LeBron James’ injury has continued to prevent the LA Lakers from entering play-in contention. He is out indefinitely with a foot injury he has been treating since January. With D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis also struggling with injuries, many have pinned hopes on James.
After reports surfaced that LeBron James would avoid surgery for the injury, NBA insider Shams Charania gave another update on James’ injury. According to the Lakers, James has a tendon injury in his right foot that will be reevaluated in three weeks.
This sets James’ planned return date for the March 24 game against OKC Thunder. After that, the Lakers have just eight games before potentially heading into the postseason.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, it’s believed that LeBron James could work through the injury if he absolutely had to. This follows reports that surfaced this week that James will avoid surgery.
On ‘#thisleague UNCUT’, Haynes said:
“Could LeBron go out and play now? It would be a risk, but I think he probably could if he absolutely had to. But it’s too big a risk. It’s too much pain right now. The plan now is to give him enough time to heal for this rehab process, but the Lakers have to win.”
The LA Lakers’ ongoing injuries
While the LA Lakers prepared for a strong finish to the year with the acquisitions of Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell, injuries were the story of the season. Anthony Davis has dealt with injuries. Davis posted MVP caliber numbers early on, despite obvious back pain.
During AD’s absence, it was LeBron James trying to keep the team afloat while chasing NBA history. Despite his best efforts, the Lakers have continued to sit outside of playoff contention. The Lakers (30-33) are a game behind the New Orleans Pelicans and the Utah Jazz, who are ninth and tenth in the West with 31-32 records.
The latest updates have left James out for at least 2-3 weeks, meaning the team is largely going into play-in competition without him. Shams Charania has used the term ‘indefinitely’ when referring to the injury, meaning it could be longer before we see James if he doesn’t make any progress.
Most recently, the team without LeBron James, Russell and Davis clinched a decisive victory against the OKC Thunder. The win gave many hope that they can turn things around and win enough games to qualify for the postseason.
If the team can qualify for the postseason, James still has a few games to find his rhythm before the end of the year. With the Western Conference race heating up, it will be interesting to see how things play out.