LeBron James may not be back as soon as a lot of Lakers fans imagined was possible. The King is currently out with an ankle injury.
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Lakers fans have been granted a new lease of life over the past 5 weeks. The departure of Russell Westbrook in a trade paved the way for them to add 3 valuable pieces.
All 3 of D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt have proved to be great additions. Beasley and Russell provide good spacing, while Vanderbilt bolsters their defense and rebounding.
The Lakers looked ready to take off into a serious playoff charge led by LeBron James last month. They overcame a 27-point deficit against Dallas in late February to post a morale-boosting victory. However, it came at the cost of LeBron James’ health.
LeBron heard a “POP”
Was it the joint “cracking” like a knuckle or a real injury? pic.twitter.com/LyjFbg5zo4
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) February 27, 2023
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LeBron James may be out for longer than 3 weeks
The initial assessment of James’ injury was that he’d escaped a major ankle break, which might have required significant time on crutches. He did, however, move about in a walking boot as a precautionary measure for over 10 days.
James cast it off for a pre-game shootaround ahead of a game last week. It was an encouraging sign that he’d soon return to the court healthy and ready to play. However, he’s still a few days removed from his initial 3-week assessment timetable.
Speaking with Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon on the Hoop Collective podcast, Brian Windhorst revealed today that James is unlikely to come back in the next week. According to him, the 3-week timetable was just for reassessment, and not his actual return timeframe.
LeBron James is ‘not close’ to returning, per @WindhorstESPN
“LeBron is not close to returning from what I’m told. I know everybody said the three weeks, but I think it was very clear three weeks is when he will get an official reevaluation. It didn’t mean he was coming back in… https://t.co/FxaS5bVxdi pic.twitter.com/wFRxlMvX6i
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) March 17, 2023
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LeBron’s stats this year
LeBron cracked the all-time regular season points record last month against the Oklahoma City Thunder. King James now stands alone at the mountain top, with 38,450 points to his name.
The Lakers superstar is averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game. His points are coming at a field goal percentage of 50.1%. His true shooting percentage stands at 58.3%.
