The Los Angeles Lakers were on a roll until LeBron James went down with a groin injury on Christmas Day. It set the team back pretty far and now they're out of a playoff spot. Ranked 10th in the Western Conference with a record of 28-29, the Lakers have a lot of catching up to do. Even though LeBron is back in the lineup, there is still reportedly some concern about whether or not LeBron is healthy. Joe Vardon of The Athletic actually spoke about this as sources close to the team said there is some validity to the concern.
"The Lakers are privately a little concerned about LeBron. Is he fully healed from the groin strain that cost him a career-worst 18 games?" Vardon said. "Is he going to pick up his intensity and propel this team back into the playoffs, as he did last year in Cleveland?"
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LeBron seems unbothered by it all though and was optimistic after the All-Star Game about the team's chances moving forward.
"Looking forward to the second half of the season," James said according to the Los Angeles Times. "Looking forward to seeing what we can do to get back in this playoff race. That's my only mindset. That's the only thing that's going to happen in my mental space for these next two months, pretty much on how I can get this team playing the type of level of basketball we were playing before my injury."
The Lakers resume play on Thursday when they take on the Houston Rockets at home.
