Depending on how much time LeBron James ends up missing due to an injury, there’s a strong chance that the Los Angeles Lakers season is over.
Injuries are usually an unfortunate part of basketball. However, when they do strike, it is something that is never fair or right. And right now, this is something that LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are having to fight through at the worst possible time.
After a possible season-saving and momentum-building 27-point comeback against the Dallas Mavericks over the weekend, the Lakers now find themselves in the unfortunate reality of their season possibly being over.
Just when it seemed as if the Lakers were going to turn the corner on their season and possibly make a run up the Western Conference standings, with their retooled and revamped roster after moves made at the NBA Trade Deadline, it may be all over. Before it truly began. That’s because LeBron James, the team’s heart and soul, and best player at the age of 38, may be out for the remainder of the regular season.
And if that ends up being the case, it’s hard to envision the Lakers making the playoffs this season.
LeBron James is expected to miss extended time with a foot injury
According to Sham Charania, the expectation is that LeBron is going to miss multiple weeks due to this injury. Though, before a definite timeline is attached to LeBron, he’s going to receive multiple opinions.
LeBron injured his foot during the comeback win against the Mavericks over the weekend. He returned to finish the game but was clearly walking with a limp afterward, a clear sign that the foot was hindering him.
For now, unless LeBron miraculously recovers in the matter of the next few days, the Lakers’ season is on life support. Just when it seemed as if the Lakers had found something with their new rotation and a healthy LeBron and Anthony Davis, all hope and optimism is back out the window.
The Lakers are currently in 12th place in the Western Conference standings. Even though they’re only 2.5 games back of the sixth seed, it’s hard to imagine that the Lakers can be consistently good enough without LeBron in the lineup to make up that much ground in the 21 games that they have left on their schedule.
This latest injury to LeBron is quite unfortunate. And maybe this is how father time catches LeBron. Either way, it’s tough to see both LeBron’s and the Lakers’ season end in this fashion. If that ends up being the case.