The Los Angeles Lakers were dealt a critical blow after it was reported that LeBron James could miss as much as two weeks due to the groin injury he sustained in their loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday.
ESPN's Shams Charania noted that James will wait for the groin strain to "calm down" before receiving another evaluation.
The defeat to the Celtics halted the Lakers' eight-game winning streak. While they're still playing at a high level, missing the 40-year-old James at this juncture doesn't bode well for the Purple and Gold.
The Lakers are in second place in the Western Conference with a 40-22 record. But former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers offered a stern caution for the JJ Redick-coached unit.
"If (James' injury) goes past two weeks, they could easily fall to fourth," said Myers on ESPN's "NBA Countdown" on Monday. "The cushion isn't huge. They've got 22 losses, Denver's got 23, Memphis has 24, Houston has 25.
"That's a three-game difference between them and Houston. So, I could see them slipping to four or five."
The Lakers are already missing Rui Hachimura, who's nursing a knee injury, for at least a week, so the cupboard has become even more bare with James' setback.
The four-time MVP is averaging team-highs of 25.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists.
For what it's worth, ESPN host Stephen A. Smith's view was different from Myers. He said he doesn't see the Lakers falling lower than third place in the Western Conference.
The Lakers' next five games are against the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs.
Related: Ex-NBA Player Reveals 'Lame' Veteran Guard Who Didn't Like Playing With Luka Doncic
Related: Former NBA Guard's Bold Remark About JJ Redick Grabs Attention
Copyright 2025 Athlon Sports. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 9:28 AM.