Lakers teammate provides cryptic update on LeBron James' foot injury

LeBron James has been out of the Los Angeles Lakers lineup since late February nursing a foot injury. It's still unclear when James will return, but teammate Dennis Schroder provided a cryptic update on the stars' status while speaking with reporters Friday. 

"I know. I can't say too much—but German doctors are great," Schroder said. "That's all I'm saying." 

Schroder didn't go into more detail, but if James did seek treatment in Germany, he wouldn't be the first Lakers' star to do so. In 2013, the late Kobe Bryant traveled to Germany to undergo plasma treatment, or Orthokine, after suffering a ruptured Achilles. 

James has missed nine straight games after suffering a tendon injury in his right foot on Feb. 26 against the Dallas Mavericks. Initially, the timetable for James' return was roughly three weeks. However, on Friday's episode of "The Hoop Collective," ESPN's Brian Windhorst clarified that James "isn't close to returning." 

“I know that everyone said the three weeks, but I think it was very clear, three weeks is when he was going to be given an official re-evaluation," Windhorst said. "It didn’t mean he was coming back in three weeks."

Winhorst added that, even though James has done so in the past, he doesn't believe the Lakers' star can play through this injury. 

Without LeBron, the Lakers have managed okay, going 5-3 in his absence. Despite posting a winning record, the Lakers haven't gained much ground in the Western Conference standings. 

Los Angeles split two games with the Memphis Grizzlies (41-27) and earned a massive win over the Golden State Warriors (36-34), who occupy the sixth seed in the West. However, the Lakers also fell to one of the team's they're chasing, the Minnesota Timberwolves (35-35), and suffered a devasting loss to the lowly Houston Rockets (17-52), owners of the NBA's worst record. 

The Lakers have only 12 games remaining on their regular season schedule, and if James isn't back soon, they could find themselves on the outside looking in at the playoff picture.