Lakers Bracing as if LeBron James May Need More Than Regular Season to Return

The Lakers are preparing as if star forward LeBron James will need more time than just the regular season to ramp up and return to the court, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

James, 38, has been sidelined with a right foot tendon injury, with the Lakers saying on March 2 that he would be reassessed in three weeks. 

“The Lakers are bracing as if he’s gonna need most, if not all of the remainder of the regular season at least to ramp up potentially to come back on the court,” Charania said on FanDuelTV.

.@ShamsCharania with the latest on LeBron James:

“The Lakers are bracing as if he’s gonna need most, if not all of the remainder of the regular season at least to ramp up potentially to come back on the court”@ChandlerParsons gives his thoughts on #RunItBack pic.twitter.com/FNA1lOqFBQ

— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) March 15, 2023

This follows a report from Charania on Bally Sports’ The Rally that at least the pain isn’t as severe in James’ foot.

“I’m told (LeBron’s) right foot is feeling much better,” Charania said on The Rally. “The Lakers are bracing as if he will need a significant chunk of the remainder of the regular season to ramp up for a return.”

Meanwhile, coach Coach Darvin Ham told reporters Monday that everything is “going according to plan” when it comes to James’ injury. James was also seen shooting free throws before warmups for Tuesday’s road win over the Pelicans.

The Lakers (34-35) currently sit in 10th place in the Western Conference. They haven’t sported a .500 record since January 2022, more than a year. But they are hoping some February trades put them back on track, with 13 games to go.

James, 38, is averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 47 games, having set the NBA’s all-time scoring record just before the break. Along with that, he is shooting 50 percent from the field and 31 percent on 3-pointers.