LeBron James hasn’t suited up since he left the game against the Warriors on Christmas Day with a groin injury. Fortunately, an MRI came back negative, but team doctors said he’d likely miss a couple of weeks in order to fully recover.
The Lakers have gone 1-3 since he went down and have struggled to find their composure without their best player in the lineup, and over the next week, they’ll face another four contests without LeBron there to lead the way.
The Lakers front office issued a press release on Friday saying that LeBron is still receiving daily treatment and will be re-evaluated in a week. He reportedly will not travel with the team on their upcoming two-game road trip.
LeBron James will not travel on the team’s upcoming two-game road trip and will be re-evaluated in one week.https://t.co/0bpY9dHNDV
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 4, 2019
Fortunately for the Lakers, while road trips are always difficult, this one is manageable. They host the Knicks at home on Friday night, followed by the Timberwolves and Mavs on the road, then come back home to face the Pistons on Wednesday.
It’s a chance for the young Lakers to prove their mettle without LeBron, but the stakes may be even higher than that given that the organization faces some tough decisions as the trade deadline approaches in terms of whether they want to make some drastic moves to try and land a superstar to play alongside LeBron. With that in mind, the next few games could potentially be crucial.
