Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James delivered a rather concerning update on the state of his health on Monday.
James, who has battled an ankle injury and an abdominal injury this season, revealed that he is still working his way back to full strength since missing eight games with the abdominal ailment.
LeBron on how he’s feeling right now given how few games he’s played, especially considering he hasn’t played more than four consecutive games:
“I feel decent physically. I’m still getting back to where I was before the (initial abdominal strain).”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) December 6, 2021
All in all, James has missed 12 of the Lakers’ 24 games this season, and the team currently has a 12-12 record to show for it.
When James is in the lineup, the Lakers are 7-5 this season. It’s not a huge difference from the team’s 5-7 record without him, but the Lakers also lost two games to the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder while James was out.
The fact that the four-time champion still isn’t at full strength is a concern for Los Angeles given how the 2020-21 season ended.
James injured his ankle during the 2020-21 campaign and never got back to his old self. That led to the Lakers losing to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.
Anthony Davis’ injury status also factored into Los Angeles’ playoff struggles last season, but with James being such a crucial part of the team’s success, it is a little disheartening to hear he still isn’t back to 100 percent.
Despite that, the 17-time All-Star is still playing at an elite level when he is on the floor this season.
On the season, James is averaging 25.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from beyond the arc. Those are MVP-caliber numbers, but the Lakers will need to win games as well for James to put himself in that conversation this season.
