Lakers adopt \u2018next-man-up\u2019 mentality as LeBron James is sidelined.<\/p>\n
As LeBron James stood outside his visitor\u2019s locker at TD Garden late on Saturday, he downplayed the concerns about the groin injury that caused him to miss the last 6 \u00bd minutes of the Lakers’ streak-ending loss to the Boston Celtics.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not much concern,\u201d James remarked. \u201cWe take it day by day, monitor it each day, and assess how it progresses, then make the right decisions moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the initial assessments align with James\u2019 comments, the Lakers are still likely to be without their 40-year-old star for the next couple of weeks.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania reported that James is expected to be out for at least 1-2 weeks due to a strained left groin \u2013 a timeline suggesting the injury isn’t too serious, as James hoped, but one that will continue to be closely monitored.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully it\u2019s nothing,\u201d Luka Doncic said after Saturday\u2019s game. \u201cGetting injured at this point \u2013 those injuries are tough to deal with. So, he needs to take his time, and we have to adopt a next-man-up mentality as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n
James mentioned that the first thought after injuring his groin on Saturday was recalling the groin tear from the 2018 Christmas Day game against the Golden State Warriors, which kept him out for 17 games and over a month.<\/p>\n
He added that he doesn\u2019t believe this injury is as serious as that one \u2013 a view supported by the initial evaluation. James also had a less severe groin issue last season during a loss to the Clippers on Nov. 9, 2022, which kept him out for five games.<\/p>\n
When asked if he would stay with the team during their four-game trip, James responded with, \u201cYeah, for sure, for sure.\u201d The trip starts Monday against the Brooklyn Nets, followed by back-to-back games against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday and Denver Nuggets on Friday.<\/p>\n
On his status for the trip, he added: \u201cHopefully. We\u2019ll see what happens in the next few days and go from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, this groin injury will likely keep James, who is listed as out for Monday, out for a considerable amount of games during the Lakers’ packed schedule in the next few weeks.<\/p>\n
Besides Monday, the Lakers are set to play seven games in 11 days, including three consecutive back-to-back sets.<\/p>\n
The Lakers were already managing multiple injuries before James\u2019.<\/p>\n
Coach JJ Redick shared on Saturday that Rui Hachimura, sidelined since Feb. 28 with left patellar tendinopathy, will miss at least another week due to the injury.<\/p>\n
Dorian Finney-Smith will miss Monday\u2019s game against the Nets due to left ankle soreness. Doncic is questionable for Monday because of back soreness, while starting center Jaxson Hayes, who missed Saturday\u2019s loss due to a bruised right knee, is also questionable for the game against the Nets.<\/p>\n
James has been pivotal during the Lakers’ strong performance over the last two months.<\/p>\n
Even with Saturday\u2019s loss, the Lakers have gone 20-5 since Jan. 15, tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the best record in that span. They have the best defensive rating in the league (108) and the third-best net rating (plus-8.8), with James leading the way, averaging 26.9 points (52.8% shooting, 37.5% on 3-pointers), 9.1 rebounds, and 8.1 assists in his 24 games since Jan. 15. This stretch included games with Doncic and Anthony Davis (who was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for Doncic), with James winning Player of the Month for February.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a next-man-up mentality,\u201d said Austin Reaves. \u201cWe\u2019ve had numerous situations where players deal with injuries or trades, and we\u2019ve bounced back really well. I don\u2019t expect anything less.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one person will replace what LeBron does for us. But as a collective, we can manage. And hopefully, he\u2019ll be back on the court soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lakers adopt \u2018next-man-up\u2019 mentality as LeBron James is sidelined. As LeBron James stood outside his visitor\u2019s locker at TD Garden late on Saturday, he downplayed the concerns about the groin injury that caused him to miss the last 6 \u00bd minutes of the Lakers’ streak-ending loss to the Boston Celtics. \u201cThere\u2019s not much concern,\u201d James […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27682,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2586],"tags":[60],"class_list":["post-27681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lakers","tag-lebron-james"],"yoast_head":"\n