In the midst of one of his healthiest seasons in recent memory, LeBron James has reportedly been battling an ankle injury, which could be a longer term issue. In the All-Star Game, he played just 13 minutes, reflective of the severity of his injury. While he looked fairly healthy overall, he likely would’ve stayed out there longer if he wasn’t attempting to work around the ailment, igniting questions about severe it really is.

Now receiving treatment, James could miss some time, starting with the team’s road contest against the Warriors on Thursday. With a brutal schedule against several great teams in the next few weeks, it’s important that James prioritizes his recovery especially given LA’s small margin for error in the standings.

Currently the 9 seed, they’re a game and a half above the Warriors, who are on the upswing, while possessing a bigger lead over the Jazz and teams outside of the play-in. With that being said, being outside of the top 8 is a nightmare scenario come playoff time, as they’d end up in 2 single-elimination play-in games prior to, best-case scenario, being the no. 8 seed. There’s also limited clarity on what James is dealing with precisely, so we’ll look to hear more shortly.