Lakers Provide Update On LeBron’s Status Vs. Blazers

The Los Angeles Lakers started the 2019-20 season with an amazing 24-3 record, but things went bad for the team. That’s the current situation in the team. LeBron James’ team is on a four-game losing streak. That’s not the only problem Los Angeles has at the moment. King James is not 100 percent when it comes to his physical condition. LeBron aggravated a sore groin in the Lakers’ loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Christmas Day. According to some sources, he may miss some time.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that several members within the Lakers organization are trying to convince the king of basketball to rest until he is 100% ready to hit the floor.

James, who had been recovering from that previous injury, said of the collision with Beverley, “it kind of set me right back to where I was five days ago.” This injury, which is on the right side of his groin, contributed to him missing Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets. 

However, for the time being, it seems as though James will not miss time. He is expected to travel to Portland with the Lakers and is on track to play in Saturday’s game against the Trail Blazers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. It should be noted, though, that the Lakers are playing a back-to-back this weekend. If James plays against the Blazers, he may still sit out against the Dallas Mavericks. 

The Lakers have lost four consecutive games, and injuries have been at the center of that streak. James and Anthony Davis each missed a game in that span, and both were hobbled in the Christmas Day loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. 

While he played through the pain on Wednesday, he was visibly bothered by what happened. James missed his first seven field-goal attempts before ultimately getting hot and closing the game with 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. His lack of explosiveness was apparent on the game’s final meaningful play, as Beverley blocked James’ potential game-tying 3-pointer off of him, securing the victory for the Clippers. 

Fortunately for the Lakers, the schedule is about to get a bit easier. Once they get through this back-to-back, the Lakers play four consecutive home games against opponents not currently in the postseason picture, so if James needs time off, they should be able to hold down the fort while he recovers. 

Considering the groin injury that ruined James’ 2018-19 season, the Lakers seemingly got off easy here. They may not be as fortunate if James pushes the issue. If rest is his best chance at a speedy recovery, then rest should be the priority until he returns to full strength.