Many around the basketball world felt as if this was coming, especially once the Los Angeles Lakers were officially eliminated from playoff contention, but LeBron James will rest for the remainder of the season. The star will miss the final six games for the Lakers, as he looks to fully recover from a strained groin, which he has dealt with for most of this season. Some may chalk this up as a waste of a first season for LeBron in L.A., despite many looking to the second season and beyond after the Lakers mess around in free agency this summer. Although, due to them holding the fourth seed in the West after a Christmas Day win over the Golden State Warriors, this season's hopes went up, before quickly getting pulled away.
James averaged 27.4 points per game this season, which ranks fifth in the NBA, while also adding 8.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists, which ranked fifth in the league. He played in 55 games this season, but the Lakers still missed out on the playoffs for a franchise record sixth straight season. Missing the postseason also snaps LeBron's personal streak of 13 consecutive seasons in the playoffs, which included eight straight NBA Finals berths.
Unfortunately for the former Cleveland Cavalier and Miami Heat, he struggled to stay healthy after suffering a slight tear in his left groin on Christmas at Oracle Arena. He ended up missing 17 straight games after that injury, which was the most games missed due to injury in his career. The Lakers were 20-14 when he went down, but they now sit at 34-42, which is good for 11th in the West. The Lakers went 28-27 in games with LeBron, and the 34-year-old claimed that he had no plans to shut things down for the season. This being the first year of a four-year, $153.3 million contract, it's tough for Lakers fans not to get down on this start, but there are still three years to go.
James averaged 27.4 points per game this season, which ranks fifth in the NBA, while also adding 8.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists, which ranked fifth in the league. He played in 55 games this season, but the Lakers still missed out on the playoffs for a franchise record sixth straight season. Missing the postseason also snaps LeBron's personal streak of 13 consecutive seasons in the playoffs, which included eight straight NBA Finals berths.
Unfortunately for the former Cleveland Cavalier and Miami Heat, he struggled to stay healthy after suffering a slight tear in his left groin on Christmas at Oracle Arena. He ended up missing 17 straight games after that injury, which was the most games missed due to injury in his career. The Lakers were 20-14 when he went down, but they now sit at 34-42, which is good for 11th in the West. The Lakers went 28-27 in games with LeBron, and the 34-year-old claimed that he had no plans to shut things down for the season. This being the first year of a four-year, $153.3 million contract, it's tough for Lakers fans not to get down on this start, but there are still three years to go.
