NBA Rumors: LeBron James Forced Time Off With Lakers Ending Soon, Report Says

KEY POINTS

LeBron James could follow Anthony Davis' return to the Los Angeles Lakers in the coming weeks
An ESPN analyst compared James' injury with the one he had in 2017
NBA teams are preparing for the return of "The King"

NBA teams know that it may only be a matter of time before the Los Angeles Lakers get their act back together. Anthony Davis is nearing his long-awaited return, and it comes as no surprise that most are expecting LeBron James next. If one is to look at the past recovery period of the four-time NBA champion, there is reason to believe “The King” may be back soon.

James has been out of action since March 20 due to a high ankle sprain. The timetable for him to return is four to six weeks, meaning the 17-time All-Star should be ready by now. He was seen at the sidelines of the Lakers game against the Utah Jazz, but a curious update from Jorge Sedano of ESPN should get purple and gold fans up and excited.

Sedano compared the current plight of James to an injury he suffered back in 2017. The 36-year-old was still playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers at the time and suffered a similar injury. The only difference is that James got hurt during training camp, forcing him to miss four weeks of basketball action.

LeBron's rehabbing on the sidelines during the Laker game today _@Sedano provides an update. pic.twitter.com/f8LCcK4zL9
— ESPN (@espn) April 17, 2021

Hence, if one does the math, James should be back in action in the next couple of weeks. The length of recovery time may be different, but there are other factors to consider. Perhaps there is nothing more glaring than the fact that James has been overworking himself this season and is already 36 years old.

As of this writing, James appears to be on track to make his return to the Los Angeles Lakers. For now, the attention is on Davis and when he will return. He could suit up when the Lakers meet the Dallas Mavericks. In the next couple of days, the team is expected to closely monitor the status of Davis and if “The Brow” is ready to return.

For now, Lakers coach Frank Vogel will continue to rely on the healthy players he has. These include Andre Drummond, Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma and Talen Horton-Tucker. The Lakers are 7-9 since James got injured but have modestly been keeping their campaign afloat.