After suffering a brutal ankle injury at the end of Saturday’s match against Atlanta, LeBron James is set to miss some time ass he recovers, leaving the Lakers without their two best players.
On Twitter, the “King” expressed grief towards the situation, saying the injury hurt him in more ways than one.
Nothing angers and saddens me more than not being available to and for my teammates! I’m hurt inside and out right now. 🤦🏾♂️. The road back from recovery begins now. Back soon like I never left. #ThekidfromAKRON🤴🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 21, 2021
The good news for L.A. is that there doesn’t seem to be any structural damage — so he should make a full recovery.
The bad news is, the Lakers don’t stand much hope of winning very much without him. Depending on how long James remains out, the Lakers could go on a stretch that decreases their seeding in the West.
Plus, at 36-years-old, any injury like this could compromise how ready he is for the postseason.
Following a Championship victory in 2020, the Lakers are facing a ridiculous amount of obstacles on their way to a repeat. Besides injuries, they’ve got to deal with the impact of COVID-19 and the rise of new superpowers in the East and West (like the Nets and Suns).
They’ll need LeBron at his best if they want any hope of repeating their performance from a year ago. It’s an interesting situation but, at least, James seems as determined as ever to get the job done.
