The Los Angeles Lakers are struggling without LeBron James, who strained his groin on Christmas in a victory over the Golden State Warriors. Since then, wins have been few and far between as the Lakers haven’t been able to adapt to life without their biggest star.
However, despite a tight playoff race in the Western Conference and the urgency to win now, the team is doing the smart thing by not rushing James’ return to the court, as Trevor Lane explains on the latest Lakers Nation News Feed.
It isn’t fun seeing the team struggle, but in the long run, James needs to be 100 percent healthy before the Lakers should put him back out on the floor. Plus, a recent press release from the Lakers hints at his earliest return date, which isn’t as soon as Lakers fans would like.
Of course, part of the problem is that it isn’t just James out of action for Los Angeles. Rajon Rondo (hand), Kyle Kuzma (back), JaVale McGee (illness) and Tyson Chandler (back) have all missed time or been limited recently due to a variety of afflictions. Michael Beasley also was absent since early December due to the unfortunate passing of his mother.
All of these things have contributed to the Lakers’ recent downturn, though the loss of James certainly stings the most. In the end, this will hopefully be just a small blip on the radar of an otherwise successful season, but for the moment, it has created stress for a team that has to keep an eye on the standings as their slide continues.
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