Amid a tight Western Conference playoff race, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in a must-win scenario to close out the season.
But after escaping Dallas with a win on Sunday, playoff hopes for the Lakers were quickly jeopardized after The Athletic’s Shams Charania revealed the severity of LeBron’s ankle injury.
“There’s fear Lakers star LeBron James is likely to miss an extended period of time with his right foot injury,” wrote Woj on Twitter. “James suffered the injury in Sunday’s win over Dallas, played through it, and belief is he will be sidelined an indefinite amount.”
Sources: There's fear Lakers star LeBron James is likely to miss an extended period of time with his right foot injury. James suffered the injury in Sunday's win over Dallas, played through it, and belief is he will be sidelined an indefinite amount.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 28, 2023
James suffered the injury after tumbling to the ground during the second half of the Mavericks game. At the time, Lakers fans were worried after they saw James mouth the words “I heard it pop” to his teammates.
Now, it seems the injury may be even worse than those fans feared. In a follow-up Tweet, Shams revealed more about the condition of LeBron’s foot.
“James miraculously played through the injury that is now expected to require multiple opinions, sources said, and the Lakers are bracing for his absence to be multiple weeks,” wrote Shams.
James miraculously played through the injury that is now expected to require multiple opinions, sources said, and the Lakers are bracing for his absence to be multiple weeks. https://t.co/zuovQ2wVzc
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 28, 2023
So, it’s looking more and more like the Lakers will be without LeBron for at least a few weeks. What does it mean for their playoff hopes?
Can Anthony Davis Lead Lakers To Postseason By Himself?
LeBron’s injury is obviously a huge blow to the Lakers’ playoff push. While this Lakers team is much better than the squad that started the season 0-5, they are going to struggle without James, who is the glue that makes everything work for this team.
Still, it may be too early to count the Lakers out completely. With three straight wins, LeBron left his team in a great spot, and Anthony Davis is talented enough to keep the momentum going without his co-star.
AD will have to channel a new level of his game for these last few weeks of the season, and we’ve seen what he looks like at his best.
In the end, only time will tell us how this all plays out, but the Lakers can’t seem to catch a break this season after showing so much promise with their new-look roster.
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