The Los Angeles Lakers will have to wait for at least one more game before LeBron James returns to the court.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been without superstar LeBron James since Christmas Day when he injured his groin against the Golden State Warriors. Los Angeles won that game despite James going down, but they haven’t done much winning since.
In 14 games without James, the Lakers have gone 5-9. In addition to James, the Lakers have been without Rajon Rondo for all 14 games. Kyle Kuzma has also missed some games over that span and now Lonzo Ball will be sidelined 4-6 weeks with an ankle sprain.
Luckily for the Lakers, Rondo is expected to get back into the lineup on Thursday. He will help offset the loss of Ball. However, James will remain sidelined for at least one more game.
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, James will miss Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Head coach Luke Walton shared the news that James will be sidelined, making it 15 consecutive games missed for the former MVP.
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This is the longest consecutive stretch of games that James has missed in his career. The 15 missed games are also a career-high for most missed games in a season. James’ previous high was 13 during the 2014-15 season, his first season back with the Cleveland Cavaliers after playing four seasons with the Miami Heat.
James has ramped up his activity in practice, taking part in drills during practice Wednesday. However, he has not yet taken part in a full-contact practice. He will not step back on the court until that happens.
The Lakers will have some time off following Thursday’s game against the Timberwolves. They won’t play again until Sunday when they face the Phoenix Suns. James has not yet been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Suns.
"“He’s not out yet for Sunday,” Walton said of James. “I guess that puts it in play. With him and Rondo, it’s going to be, again, how he’s feeling tomorrow morning and take it from there and see how he’s doing the next day after that and the next day.“When they feel ready to play, then they’ll play.”"
It would not be a surprise if James is held out of Sunday’s game as well. Despite their injuries, the Lakers should still have enough to defeat a tanking Suns team.
If not Sunday against the Suns, the next time the Lakers take the court is Tuesday, Jan. 29 against the Philadelphia 76ers to finish up their four-game homestand.