"It's horrible...I lost all explosiveness" - LeBron James' comments on his ankle injury raises concerns for LA Lakers going forward
While the LA Lakers' find themselves in a tough spot after another loss, the side will have bigger problems on their plate considering the injury suffered by LeBron James.
Coming up short against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, the Lakers saw their superstar suffer an ankle injury in the first half of the game.
While the loss itself was bad enough, LeBron James made some comments at the post-game press conference that raised even more concerns for the organization. In response to questions regarding his ankle injury, he said:
"It's horrible...I lost all explosiveness... A lot of my game was on the perimeter after that."
LeBron's concerning comments regarding his ankle injury suffered vs. Pelicans
"It's horrible. ... I lost all explosiveness. ... A lot of my game was on the perimeter after that [ankle injury]."
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LeBron James ended up turning his ankle while rushing in to contest an offensive rebound.
LeBron James went down after rolling his left ankle but he's up and will try to continue. 🙏 https://t.co/80KfTrA1aE
"The King" still ended the game with 39-points - a tremendous feat for anyone playing through injury. Unfortunately, execution down the stretch continued to be the Lakers' undoing as they blew a 23-point lead to allow the Pelicans to walk away with the win.
While his return came as a relief to most fans, his comments were definitely unsettling for the Lakers given their unexpected standing at this point in the season.
Falling to tenth place in the West and still awaiting Anthony Davis' return, the Lakers cannot afford to see another superstar fall out of the rotation.
LeBron James' health is the LA Lakers' primary concern
It is no argument that this season has seen the LA Lakers rotation hobbled with injuries. Much like any other team, the Lakers have seen players and stars miss a number of games, which has often resulted in unfavorable outcomes.
In this regard, the Lakers have barely seen their superstar trio share any time on the floor together. With Anthony Davis only playing 37 games this season, the Lakers were shorthanded to say the least.
However, LeBron James took over the reigns in an attempt to carry the LA Lakers to a playoff showing. Despite being in his 19th season, James has been one of the most dominant forces in the league.
Having played through ongoing knee and ankle injuries, James has put his body through the works to keep the Lakers' hopes alive. Even in their most recent loss, James recorded 39 points, nine rebounds and five assists in an attempt to keep the Lakers in the game.
LeBron James tonight:
39 PTS
9 REB
5 AST
14-27 FG
7-13 3P
It’s his 17th loss when scoring 30+, the most by any player this season. https://t.co/Kqu3GzS9ZJ
The LA Lakers are currently in tenth place after their loss to New Orleans. With only a game separating them from the eleventh-seeded San Antonio Spurs, Lakeshow cannot lose any more games if they want to hold onto their Play-In spot.
With eight games left in the regular-season and James' injury status up in the air at the moment, the Lakers can only hope for the best.