The effect of LeBron James' injury: How Lakers, Western Conference standings and Play-In picture are impacted

For at least the next few weeks, the Lakers will have to adjust to life without LeBron James.

In the midst of LA's comeback victory over Dallas on Sunday, Feb. 26, James went down with an apparent foot injury. Clearly in pain, the 38-year-old somehow finished the game, only for the injury to later be deemed serious enough to sideline him for an indefinite period of time.

The Lakers' aspirations to make a late-season surge into the Play-In Tournament picture and the NBA Playoffs are no secret, but even prior to James' injury, the team had a razor-thin margin for error to make it happen.

It's no secret that James' absence will have an impact on the Lakers but if you widen the lens to take a snapshot of the jumbled Western Conference, there's even more at play.

MORE: What we know about LeBron James' foot injury and potential time missed

The impact of LeBron James' injury on…

The Lakers

For the majority of the past two seasons, the success of this Lakers team is predicated on its two stars — James and Anthony Davis — playing at an elite level and the supporting cast executing their respective roles.

When one star goes down, things typically would go awry.

By adding Malik Beasley, D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt at the trade deadline, LA's roster is much better equipped to temporarily play around one star — everyone just needs to step up.

The Sporting News' Kyle Irving recently outlined the ways in which Davis — and the supporting cast — can step up, a group that also features Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, and Dennis Schroder.

Given the fact that LA is taking the wait-and-see approach with James' injury, the above group's ability to step up and keep the team in the thick of the race for a playoff spot will likely have an impact on whether or not James returns to the floor if and when he's cleared to do so.

MORE: LeBron James' injury puts pressure on Anthony Davis to step up

The Playoff picture

At the time of James' injury, the Lakers held a 29-32 record. As unflattering as that mark may be, it's enough for LA to be in the hunt — just four games separate the fourth-place Suns and 11th-place Lakers.

While teams like the Suns and Clippers will likely create separation in the standings, the Lakers could find themselves in an eight-team battle for seeds six through 10, which is the final seed in the Play-In Tournament.

A look at the standings can paint the picture much better than any description ever could.

(Through games played on March 1)

Lakers schedule 2022-23

James went down with 21 games remaining on LA's schedule. Of those 21 games, 12 are against teams that the Lakers could potentially catch in the standings, depending on how you view the Clippers and Suns.

And while the Lakers would surely prefer to have James when they do so, there is something to be said about how much of their own destiny they control with the number of head-to-head matchups they can use to gain wins in the standings and earn tiebreakers.

If LA truly wants to reach the postseason, it will have to treat each remaining game with postseason-like intensity.