Here is how long LeBron James could be out with ankle injury

LeBron James appeared to be in a significant amount of pain after he left Saturday’s game with an ankle injury, and the Los Angeles Lakers may not get him back for quite some time.

James has been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on “Get Up!” Monday morning that the Lakers are still evaluating the injury, but they’re prepared for LeBron to be out as long as a month.

“That’s a normal time frame for recovery for that injury, but they’re still firming up a timeline,” Wojnarowski said, via Bleacher Report’s Joseph Tucker. “James has shown in his career an incredible ability to recover quickly from injury and play through injury, but this one’s not going to be so easy, and the Lakers, again, are preparing for the possibility this is going to be weeks, not days.”

The Lakers have remained near the top of the Western Conference with their 28-15 record, which was good for third place as of Monday. Anthony Davis has already been sidelined with a calf injury, so they could start to struggle now that LeBron is expected to miss an extended period as well.

LeBron’s ankle turned awkwardly after he was rolled up on by Atlanta Hawks guard Solomon Hill. Some Lakers players were upset about the play, which led to Hill addressing it in a statement. You can see a video of the play here.

LeBron has rarely been injured throughout his career, but the Lakers are going to play it safe with him. With less than two months remaining in the regular season, making sure James is 100 percent healthy for the playoffs is the priority.