Report: LeBron James’ ankle is ‘not going to get a lot better’ anytime soon

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has missed many games over the last several weeks with a high ankle sprain, and it seems like it won’t get a whole lot better the rest of the season.

“The concern for the Lakers right now – that right ankle of LeBron James that kept him out for six weeks, has put him out again – this is not going to get a lot better,” said ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “He’s going to have to play with discomfort in the postseason. It’s not going to be until the summer. So there’s an even greater load on Anthony Davis here. But the question still remains of how effective LeBron James can be.”

James originally injured the ankle in late March during a contest against the Atlanta Hawks. He finally returned to the lineup last week for two games, then went out due to soreness in the same ankle.

The Lakers have fallen into a deep slump at an inopportune time. As a result, they have fallen to seventh place in the Western Conference, and an appearance in the NBA’s play-in tournament seems to be almost certain.

Even with their forces severely depleted, L.A. managed to defeat the Denver Nuggets on Monday, and as of this writing, it holds a sizable lead over the Phoenix Suns.

The team is also without Dennis Schroder (health and safety protocols), while Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma and Talen Horton-Tucker are also banged up.

Luckily for the Lakers, Anthony Davis returned several games ago, and he is starting to round into peak form.