The Los Angeles Lakers entered the All-Star Break in a bit of a downward spiral, having lost eight of 11 games dating back to Jan. 19. Some of those losses coincided with the absence of LeBron James, who was sidelined for five weeks while recovering from a strained groin.
James, who suffered the injury on Christmas Day, was sidelined for a career-high 17 consecutive games and only recently returned to the court on the final day of January.
Since making his way back to the starting lineup, the Lakers have posted a bleak 2-3 record — a far cry from the success they enjoyed prior to James’ injury.
Perhaps more concerning is that the Lakers reportedly are concerned with James’ health and mobility since having returned from his groin strain nearly three weeks ago, via Joe Vardon of The Athletic:
The Lakers are privately a little concerned about LeBron.
If James is truly still reeling from his previous groin strain, his play on the court — at least statistically — hasn’t given any indications. He’s averaging a triple-double since returning, at 23.2 points, 11 assists and 10.8 rebounds in five games.
James was healthy enough to suit up in the All-Star Game, where he finished 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes of action.
Now with the unofficial second half of the season looming, James is solely focused on elevating Los Angeles back to the level of basketball they previously played for a playoff push.
At 28-29, the Lakers currently find themselves three games behind the No. 8 seed Clippers with 25 contests remaining in the regular season.
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