LeBron James injury update: Lakers star feeling much better, but team prepared for long absence, per report

Due to a right foot ailment, LeBron James has missed the last two weeks of action. As he works towards a recovery, there seems to be both good and bad news. The good news is that James’ right foot is feeling much better, and he has been spotted shooting free throws for the first time since his injury, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic on The Rally.

The bad news is that he is still quite some distance away and there is currently no set timeline for his return. According to reports, the Lakers think it will take him a good portion of the remaining games to get back on track. James will have another evaluation in a week and a half.

Though they still have work to do in the regular season, the Lakers have fortunately managed to compile a 6-5 record without James since the All-Star break. Before Wednesday’s game against the Houston Rockets, they had at least managed to move up into the No. 10 slot. In addition, they upset the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday to win a tiebreaker, which should make it even simpler for them to guarantee that, when all is said and done, they finish in the top 10 of the Western Conference.

Even though the Lakers would undoubtedly want to place higher in the standings, James’ health wouldn’t be worth it in order to do that. This squad has performed so admirably since the trade deadline that it has every right to think that, at its best, it can contend for the championship. Hope will disappear the instant James makes this foot issue worse. When James returned from an injury with just two games remaining in the regular season in 2021, the Lakers experienced something similar. James went on to suffer in a first-round loss to the Phoenix Suns.

In a perfect world, James’ return to the Lakers will come soon enough to allow him to get back into many regular-season games. Then, he would be fully recovered by the time the play-in round starts. The Lakers will give him as much time as he needs to heal because getting him there is their only realistic chance of being in the running for the title.