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LeBron James is set to miss a minimum of two weeks due to a right foot injury that he suffered in the Los Angeles Lakers’ dramatic come-from–behind win against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. CBS Sports’ Bill Reiter has additionally reported that depending on the Lakers’ standing in the West after two weeks, the star forward’s absence may be extended further.
Concerns had quickly emerged within the Lakers organization that James may have to be absent for an extended time after he injured his foot in the third quarter against the Mavericks. Despite this, he continued to play and posted an impressive tally of 26 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists to aid in the team’s largest comeback in 21 years.
Given their current spot in the Western Conference at 29-32, and 12th place, the Lakers cannot afford to be without their key player for an extended period. Tuesday sees them take on the Memphis Grizzlies, before matches against play-off contenders the Thunder, Timberwolves and Warriors.
Their form in games without James this season stands at 5-9, and whilst Anthony Davis has stepped up magnificently during an earlier stretch of his absence, he is only now coming back to full strength following his own two month injury layoff. Their most recent game without James was the defeat of the Warriors, but they had the advantage of Golden State being without Stephen Curry.
Therefore, it is up to Davis and newly acquired point guard D’Angelo Russell to ensure that the team stays competitive while James is out. If his recovery goes beyond two weeks, then the Lakers are in danger of losing too much ground in the standings, leaving them vulnerable without him.
