LeBron James injury update - Darvin Ham sends positive message regarding Lakers' NBA star

LeBron James has missed his seventh consecutive game since being sidelined by a foot injury.

The last time he was on the court was on Feb. 26 against the Dallas Mavericks when James put up 26 points, eight rebounds and three assists. James seemed perfectly fine that night, which is why people were caught by surprise when the "King" announced that he'd be missing some games.

In fact, there were even reports LeBron James would be sidelined for longer. While that may come as a concern for the Lakers and their fans, coach Darvin Ham has some good news about James' injury.

According to NBA insider Dan Woike, Ham says that LBJ's injury management is going smoothly. The Lakers coach might be hinting that LeBron could return sooner than later.

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How have LA Lakers fared without LeBron James?

Toronto Raptors vs Los Angeles Lakers

Despite not having LeBron James in the lineup due to his foot injury, the LA Lakers have held their own without their leader.

For the most part, Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder have done the heavy lifting, while the rest of the Lakers roster has masterfully supported them. D'Angelo Russell then made his awaited return on Friday and immediately did some heavy lifting, too.

Anthony Davis stepped up big time during LeBron James' absence. In six of the last seven games without James, Davis averaged 26.6 points, 13.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. Three of those six games were 30-point outings. His most impressive performance was against the Memphis Grizzlies when AD put up 30 points and 22 rebounds.

"The Brow", without a doubt, boosted the Lakers back into playoff contention, putting them back in the play-in tournament picture. Before losing to the New York Knicks on Sunday night, LA was sitting in the ninth seed. With the loss, they are down to 11th, but regaining their postseason spot isn't out of the question.

The Lakers (33-35) are tied with the ninth-placed Utah Jazz and tenth-placed OKC Thunder. If the Lakers win their next couple of games, they should return to ninth or even eighth if the Dallas Mavericks continue to lose.