LeBron James missed 17 straight games due to a groin injury, and according to the Los Angeles Lakers star forward, he is still not completely back to where he wants to be physically.
“The physical side is there,” James said after practice on Wednesday. “I feel pretty good where I’m at physically. I’m rounding third base and sliding into home on my physical, how I felt before the injury. I’m sliding in clean too. I’m going be the first person to slide into home base and get up clean.”
James then couldn’t help but crack a joke about a recent rumor that he had gained a large amount of weight during his absence due to injury.
“So I feel pretty good, even at 280 pounds,” he said.
It’s not totally surprising that James is not yet fully healthy, but the Lakers will need all of his greatness to turn the 2018-19 season around. The Lakers lost 11 of the 17 straight games James missed. They now sit at 10th in the Western Conference and have a lot of ground to make up if they hope to advance to the playoffs.
Injury aside, James’ first season with the Lakers has not gone quite as fans had hoped it would. While he is undoubtedly one of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen, it’s going to take more than just his efforts to bring another title to Los Angeles.
