How long will LeBron James be out with a foot injury?, timeline, return, image of the Los Angeles Lakers playoffs

The Los Angeles Lakers have suffered a crushing blow to their playoff hopes as superstar LeBron James is set to stand on the sidelines for an extended stint.

So says NBA insider Shams Charania, who reported Tuesday that the Lakers are “preparing” for James to miss “several weeks” with the right foot injury he sustained in a 111-108 win over the Mavericks has.

James scored 26 points in the comeback win over Dallas, leading the Lakers to a third straight win and a 29-32 record. They currently rank 12th in the Western Conference.

Watch an average of 9 NBA regular season games LIVE per week on ESPN on Kayo Sports on ESPN on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

“Fkn sucks,” James wrote on his Instagram Story on Tuesday, while chronicling himself lying on a bed with his right foot strapped.

The Lakers form a true wildcard should they qualify for the playoffs, having taken the necessary steps to fit a few key pieces around James before the trade deadline.

Jarred Vanderbilt was one of those players and quickly proved himself a deadline steal, most recently with 15 points and 17 rebounds in the win over the Mavericks.

However, it will now be up to Anthony Davis to carry the burden in James’ absence, with the 38-year-old unlikely to return until the middle of next month.

Cameras caught James saying he heard his ankle “pop” against Dallas and admitted he “felt better” after the game when asked about his foot injury.

“But I definitely didn’t want to go into the dressing room and not finish the game tonight,” James added.

“I just understood the importance of the game and then with the momentum we had I felt like we can still win after we were down.”

They did, but the Lakers need to keep up the wins if they’re going to even qualify for the Play-In tournament. LA has won five of 14 games without James this season.

But the fact that the teams directly above them — the Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Timberwolves and Jazz — aren’t exactly world champions right now speaks for the Lakers.

So there’s still hope with Davis and the likes of D’Angelo helping Russell and Vanderbilt fill the void for now.

“I want to make a push to get to the playoffs,” James said at All-Star Weekend.

“I don’t want to see that I’m not a part of the postseason for two years. It’s just not part of my DNA.

“We’re sitting up here and we’re talking about the record and things like that and it’s all cool, but I’m more passionate about trying to make the postseason and give us a chance to fight for another (title).”