Lakers: LeBron James Reveals Severity of His Ankle Injury

LeBron James provided his perspective on the left ankle injury he suffered in the second quarter of the Lakers-Pelicans game on Sunday.

There's plenty of used phrases in this world, but they're also overused because they're so frequently accurate. "To add insult to injury" is on the list and it definitely defined the Lakers 116-108 loss to the Pelicans on Sunday. The Lakers were playing some of their best basketball in recent memory in the first half in a "must win game". Then, LeBron turned his left ankle in the second quarter. 

LeBron stayed in the game, put the finishing touches on a 25-point first half, and logged over 21 minutes in the second half en route to a 39-point performance. After the game, LeBron discussed with reporters how his ankle was feeling:

“It’s horrible. It’s horrible right now.

His response provides additional color to the box score. He wasn't nearly as effective in the Lakers second half meltdown. LeBron went 5-for-14 from the field. He conducted his post game press conference with more tape on his ankle than a fifth grade science project.  

LeBron mentioned how the ankle drastically affected his ability to drive.

"I lost all explosiveness, couldn’t really get into the lane like I’d have wanted to.”

When LeBron can't get to the rim, the Lakers can't score efficiently. Throughout his career, James has created open looks for teammates by driving to the rim, collapsing the defense, and then kicking the ball out to open shooters.

As a team, the Lakers went 3-for-16 (18.8%) from three and 16-for-41 (39%) from the field. The offense was nothing short of anemic and James' injury is a big reason why.

According to Lakers reporter Mike Trudell, LeBron already began treatment on his ankle and the superstar is hoping he'll be able to suit up for the Lakers Tuesday tilt in Dallas.

At the moment, James' official injury status is unknown.

Losing to one of the teams you're battling for a playoff birth after being up by 23 points at the half is bad enough. Your superstar player badly turning his ankle is the only thing that could make it worse.