How Healthy is LeBron James Heading Into the Playoffs? Expert Explains

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Lakers movement & medical expert Dr.Raj, DPT details LeBron James health and readiness heading into the playoffs based on a 8-tiered movement analysis from LeBron’s first two games back after missing six games due to ankle soreness after his initial return from a right high ankle sprain and suffering a “tweak” during the New Orleans Pelicans game | How Healthy is LeBron James Heading Into the Playoffs? Expert Explains | Lakers analysis

For reference, I’m a sports scientist, youth basketball coach, DPT (Doctor of Physio), movement expert, researcher, mindfulness enthusiast and owner of 3CB Performance —providing sports medicine, performance, and mindfulness services online and in-person at clinics in West LA and Valencia, CA.

Feel free to hit me with questions and/or you can always find me on my website or follow on social media:

Here’s a table of contents:
- 0:00 The lead-in
- 0:40 Top end speed
- 0:55 Acceleration/short burst
- 1:11 Lateral (side to side)
- 1:23 Transverse (rotation)
- 1:35 Jumping/landing
- 1:49 Contact/leverage
- 2:01 Confidence/fluidity
- 2:32 “Tweak” and resilience
- 2:58 What % is Bron?
- 3:17 Outro

Welcome it’s Raj from 3CB.

Lakers superstar LeBron James played in the Lakers final 2 regular season games after missing six games due to ankle soreness that manifested after his initial return from a high ankle sprain. I’ve spoken on the soreness itself in-depth and you can watch that video for more information on it.

The key question considering Bron’s tumultuous return and “tweak” at the end of the Pelicans game is - how healthy is the right ankle?

I took a detailed look at his two games back - particularly how he progressed from game 1 to game 2 - through the lens of 8 movement components to gauge where he’s at physically and mentally.

Straight line sprint

Bron was measured with his sprints in game 1 but ramped them up to a different level in game 2.

Short burst/acceleration

Bron was clearly hesitant bursting off his right ankle in game 1 - accelerating relatively flat footed on the right - but he didn’t show much of that hesitance in game 2, accelerating hard downhill off his right forefoot.

Lateral (side to side)

LeBron used the lateral side-step off the right leg into his jumper in game 1 but in game 2, he was loading the right ankle for full-weight cuts as well.

Rotational (transverse)

Bron really limited his rotation on the right ankle in game 1 but in game 2 he was rotating directly off the ankle while in traffic.

Landing

Bron didn’t jump directly off his right foot during the 2 games - and that’s not abnormal for him, he’s predominantly a single-leg left-footed jumper - but in game 2, he was landing solely on the right ankle without hesitation.

Contact/leverage

Bron engaged in a controlled manner in game 1 but in game 2, he was back to dishing out contact and punishing players.

Confidence

LeBron’s comfort level in game 1 was pretty good, to the tune of even pulling off an homage to THT’s half-step gather and reverse right hand layup, but that confidence and comfort in game 2 was a few notches higher, showing off multiple dimensions of his game including this sprint into a deceleration and change of direction and this active rotation and steal into an active sprint and leaping no-look to AD

Resilience

LeBron “tweaked” his ankle at the tail-end of the Pelicans game when he landed on a defender’s foot. Following the game, both Bron and Coach Vogel said it wasn’t a big deal and the next day, LeBron reported only a “little soreness”.

Bron’s ankle’s response is a very good sign because taking these little tweaks and knocks while playing in a back to back and coming out no worse for wear is a key indicator of the ankle’s resilience, capacity, and overall readiness.

Based on these factors, I’d estimate LeBron’s health and fitness around 80%. His first game back was clearly a feeling out process and he jumped up to another level in game 2. However, there’s still progress to be made, particularly as game intensity ramps up into the play-in and playoffs.

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