Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James will be out indefinitely with injury according to multiple reports. James is diagnosed with a high ankle sprain after Atlanta Hawks forward Solomon Hill dove for a loose ball and injured the Lakers star in Saturday’s loss for the purple and gold.
The Lakers are still without Anthony Davis for the foreseeable future while Marc Gasol is regaining his conditioning before returning to the team after an extended absence.
High ankle sprains typically take much longer to heal than other ankle sprains, with some medical sources online listing a recovery timetable of between six weeks to three months for the general population. Of course, professional athletes often heal more quickly and James is historically famous for quick recoveries from similar injuries. Still, the Lakers have seemingly remained cautious with Davis’ injury and thus may do the same with James.
The Lakers play their final regular-season game on May 16th, meaning James should be ready for the postseason even if he is on the high end of that recovery timetable.
The Lakers started Kyle Kuzma in the second half of Saturday’s game in James’ absence. Markieff Morris and Damian Jones started in place of Davis and Gasol. Jones’ 10-day contracts have now run out and the Lakers will need to decide whether they wish to sign him for the rest of the season.
The trade deadline is on March 25th, giving the Lakers a few more days to find potential replacements in the trade market. If they cannot, they will likely fill out their roster with bought out players.
