The Lakers stopped their four-game losing streak on Sunday with a win over the Phoenix Suns. They did this without LeBron James, who has missed the last four Lakers games with a groin strain. Shams Charania recently reported that the 40-year-old will miss at least another week of games before returning. The Lakers are currently in the middle of a heated Western Conference playoff race, where every game matters. We are going to take a look at the most recent LeBron injury update and see how it potentially impacts the Lakers playoff seeding in the West.
The Playoff Implications Of LeBron’s Injury Update
LeBron Injury Update
What sounded like a minor injury may take James a little longer to recover from. Charania is reporting that the most recent LeBron injury update is that he has just started on-court workouts. He will miss at least another week.
Reporting for ABC NBA Countdown: LeBron James has his first on-court workout today – with ESPN footage – plus a Lakers return timetable update: pic.twitter.com/xTeiMRblnp
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 16, 2025
Charania said that the Lakers are going to be very cautious in bringing James back. Due to his age and the insane amount of basketball mileage on his body, the Lakers have to be careful with this soft tissue injury. The worst-case scenario would be bringing James back too soon and have him re-aggravate the injury before the playoffs start.
The Lakers Upcoming Schedule
The Lakers have a few tough games ahead of them. LeBron will likely, at a minimum, miss the team’s next four games and possibly more. Two of those games will be against contenders in the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks. The Nuggets game specifically will be key as the Lakers are currently fighting with them for positioning near the top of the Western Conference standings.
At this point in the season, every game is important, and having James miss this week (and possibly longer) could have major playoff implications. According to Tankathon, the Lakers have the sixth-most difficult remaining schedule in the league. They will need James to return sooner rather than later if they want to hold on to advantageous seeding for the playoffs. However if he comes back too soon, and gets hurt again, it could be even worse.
The Western Conference Playoff Picture
The Lakers have fallen to the fifth seed in the Western Conference. They are tied in the loss column with three other teams: the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, and Memphis Grizzlies. Just a few days ago, the Lakers were a second seed, which shows you just how quickly things can change.
With James likely out for at least the next few games, the Lakers are going to have their work cut out for them. If they rack up even just a few more losses, they could see themselves plummet even further down the standings.
They are only 2.5 games ahead of the Golden State Warriors (seven straight wins) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (eight straight wins), who are the two hottest teams in the NBA right now. As these teams nip at the Lakers heels, the pressure is on. For the Lakers, avoiding the Play-In Tournament is essential, but so is getting homecourt advantage for as many playoff rounds as possible. This LeBron injury update certainly will make things harder, but Lakers fans are hoping James can return soon to help keep the Lakers head above water in a crowded Western Conference playoff field.
Photo credit: © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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