LeBron James has yet to take the court since he left the Christmas Day matchup versus the Golden State Warriors, and according to a recent report from OnSmash.com, the reason for that is because the four-time MVP is suffering from a far more serious injury than previously believed.
“So, as you all know, LeBron James has been out of action for the last two weeks, leaving the Christmas massacre of the Golden State Warriors,” the report read. “Initial reports, revealed that the King had a strained left groin, which they listed him as day-to-day. Well, we’ve been told through sources that LeBron allegedly has a sports hernia injury – more severe than an injured groin.”
This could be a major blow to a Lakers team that had just been getting into a groove prior to its win over the Warriors, but has since won just two of its last seven games.
If James is suffering from a sports hernia, it could be quite a long time until he is back on the court.
“This is likely to sideline him for longer than a month and possible more, since he’s not going to get surgery treatment,” the report read. “While Los Angeles is declining to undergo the knife this season, our guess is that he’ll be out until after All-Star break. By then, the team should be able to keep a .500 record and make a push for the playoffs in the wide-open West.”
While it is not clear how reputable the source is, it does seem as though James is not any close to returning than he was a week ago.
Perhaps the one positive out of this current situation is that the Lakers were able to claim a big win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. In that win, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball led the charge, with Ingram finishing the night with 29 points, six assists, and three rebounds, and Ball recording 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
If James does end up being out for longer than previously expected, Ingram and Ball are going to have to replicate those kinds of performances night in and night out for the Lakers to keep pace in the stacked Western Conference.
