Read Zhan Huang or take a few weeks of truce: thick eyebrows will meet the test Entering the top six is slim, but there is still drama in the play-offs

On February 28, Beijing time, the Lakers ushered in bad news, LeBron James may be out for a while due to a right foot injury, and the Lakers have been preparing for James' absence for weeks. For the Lakers, James' injury at this point is undoubtedly a nightmare, and their good momentum may be interrupted by it. The Lakers' hopes of finishing in the top six are slim, but given the recent performance of the Lakers' new signings and the form of Anthony Davis, the Lakers still have a chance to get a play-off ticket.

James Injury Review

James's left script has been injured all the season, and on February 27, when the Lakers reversed to defeat the Lone Ranger, James injured his right foot, and he insisted on playing the game with an injury, when coach Hamm and James himself said that the injury was fine, but James's limping off the court was still worrying.

The preliminary results of James' further examination today look less optimistic, with both ESPN and The Athletic saying James could be out for weeks. Now that the Lakers have not released what James's injury is, Dr. Ivan Jeffries, a well-known medical expert, said that the worst outcome is a plantar and tarsal joint injury, and the best result is a plantar fascial injury.

Because the specific injury of James has not yet been announced, it is impossible to judge how long James will be absent, and given his age, James may really be absent for a long time this time.

James' injury affects

This season, the 38-year-old James still played a terrifying performance, averaging 29.5 points plus 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game, and he is still a needle in the Lakers. On the offensive end, James' basket bombing ability is one of the basic sets for the Lakers to attack the inside.

In the words of Lakers reporter Bucha, Davis and Russell can help James share the pressure, but it does not mean that they can replace James, even at this stage of his career, James is still an irreplaceable existence.

The data shows that with James absent, the Lakers have a 5-9 record this season. In his career with the James Lakers, the Lakers were 36-62 when he was absent. That said, if James doesn't play, the Lakers won't even win by 40%, which is not good news for the Lakers who are struggling to catch up with the teams ahead to make the playoffs.

This season, when James was on the floor, the Lakers scored 115.1 points per 100 rounds, lost 111.4 points, and won 3.7 points per 100 games. Before the trade deadline, after the Lakers introduced this batch of new signings who were more compatible with James, James's presence influence skyrocketed, and the Lakers scored 118.3 points per 100 rounds and only lost 98.5 points when he was on the floor, and 19.8 points per 100 rounds. When he wasn't on the floor, the Lakers scored only 107.8 points per 100 rounds, dropping 109.6 points and netting 1.8 points.

The depth of the Lakers has indeed improved, and the ability of role players has also improved significantly, but these players need James as the backbone to play better. James's injury, the power of role players may be affected.

How did the Lakers get through it?

The Lakers will have to be prepared for a hard life, and the Lakers' ideal situation is of course to win by uniting to win when James' combination is not performing well like the Warriors before. At that time, the Lakers scored double-doubles with all eight of them, and Malik Beasley hit seven three-pointers.

The Lakers first have to hope that Russell will return as soon as possible, he has missed one game because of a sprained ankle, and it is still unknown whether he can catch the next game. If Russell can return in time, the offense of the Lakers' starting lineup is expected to maintain its level.

The Lakers have to count on Davis to avoid injuries and play MVP-caliber, and he has to play on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends like he did in the last game against the Lone Ranger, taking over at key moments.

Among the several new signings of the Lakers, Vanderbilt is the most reassuring, his opportunities are snatched by himself, James' absence does not have much impact on him, he will still be an important puzzle piece for the Lakers on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends. But Beasley, Hachimura and Bamba are three new signings to ensure efficiency, Beasley has to improve his offensive stability, Hachimura has to defend well, and Bamba has to reduce fouls to maintain three-point stability.

With the rest of the Lakers, Schroder has to keep playing like he did in the Warriors and the last game against the Lone Ranger, and Reeves continues to do the important puzzle of rotating the roster. If the Lakers can play a depth advantage with Davis as the core, they can hope to maintain a good winning percentage next.

The Lakers haven't reached the point of desperation yet, and their remaining 21 opponents have an average win rate of just 47.9 percent, and their schedule is 5th in the league. Although James' injury has had a big impact on the Lakers' goal of rushing to the top six, Hamm has also said before that if they play the play-offs, they are not afraid, and they must first make sure to enter the play-offs.

The current competitive environment is also favorable for the Lakers, whose direct rival Timberwolves have 19 opponents remaining with an average win rate of 52.2%, the third-toughest team on the schedule. The Blazers have 22 opponents left with an average win rate of 51.3%, ranking 7th in the difficulty of the schedule. The Warriors have 21 opponents left with an average win rate of 51.3%, ranking 8th in the difficulty of the schedule. The Jazz have an average win rate of 50.8% among the remaining 20 opponents, and are 13th in difficulty on schedule. The Thunder's schedule is as difficult as the Lakers, and the two teams have 2 direct meetings, these two games will directly affect the play-off pattern, and the Lakers must fight hard.