Shams Report: Updated Timeline On LeBron James Return

When will the Los Angeles Lakers get LeBron James back in the lineup from his foot injury? According to NBA Insider Shams Charania, "he needs all the time he can get."

.@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

"There's still no concrete timeline for him to return to action. I'm told he's still a ways away."

In fact, “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," reported Shams.  

This means that the Lakers will have to earn their spot in the Play-In (or playoffs) without him down the stretch. Going into Wednesday night's play, they were tied for the last two play-in spots with the Dallas Mavericks (9th and 10th seeds) at 34-35 after a nice 7-3 run sans LeBron. But the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans are nipping at their heels, one game back. 

"LeBron's foot is doing a lot better than it was," says Charania, "but... he's not coming back in a week and a half, it's going to be longer than that. He's going to need all time he can get."

Photo: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports