In the Los Angeles Lakers’ comeback win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, superstar LeBron James suffered a scary foot injury.
After taking a spill on the court, James could be seen telling teammates that he heard a pop.
“I heard it pop ” pic.twitter.com/w4WsHBKMXm
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) February 26, 2023
He was able to play through the issue, assuaging fears of a catastrophic injury, but he was seen walking very gingerly following the game.
LeBron walking gingerly after the game
(h/t @TheNBACentral)pic.twitter.com/NM1A0WrkJf
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) February 27, 2023
James offered some worrisome comments following the game, and now, Shannon Sharpe has come forward to declare that the four-time MVP “does not look like the same player” lately.
.@ShannonSharpe reacts to LeBron’s foot injury: pic.twitter.com/zeiwtv71od
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) February 27, 2023
“For me, he does not look like the same LeBron James that we saw the guy play from his birthday until he injured that foot — I think it was February 7th,” Sharpe began. “His birthday was December 30th, February 7th when he broke Kareem’s record. He does not look like the same player from the fourth quarter on of that game to what we see now. … The foot is clearly bothering him. There are some things that he can’t do that he normally could do, and he’s not playing the same brand of basketball that we’ve seen from LeBron. And as long as LeBron James is not healthy, they’re not going anywhere.”
Sharpe did say that even with James’ health concerns, he thinks the Lakers can advance to the playoffs. However, Sharpe and all Lakers fans know that this season is not about simply making it to the playoffs. Ideally, it’s about winning another NBA championship, and Sharpe knows that L.A.’s ceiling is going to be limited if health issues get in the way.
“I’m at a 10 on my concern meter,” he said.
Earlier this season, it was reported that James could end up dealing with his left foot injury for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign. His right foot was the one that he injured on Sunday, so he’s clearly dealing with a lot from a health perspective right now.
To make matters worse, the margin for error for L.A. is basically at zero. After a really sluggish start to the season, the Lakers are finally looking like a playoff team. However, the hole that they dug for themselves has forced them to try to finish out the season with an incredibly high winning percentage.
That means that James will not get the opportunity to sit out games in an attempt to rest and improve the status of his health.
The good news is that after the flurry of trades the Lakers made prior to the trade deadline, James and teammate Anthony Davis definitely have an improved and more dependable supporting cast.
Unfortunately, looking forward, things won’t get much easier for the Lakers. They’ll take on the Memphis Grizzles on Tuesday before facing the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors to round out the week.
The Lakers are going to have to find a way to grind out some wins.
