LeBron James' groin injury is now the worst injury of his career.
Of all of the highlights in James' 16-year career, his durability is one of the most impressive. The most games he's ever missed in a season was 13 in 2014-15, during which he was sidelined eight games with a back injury.
James has now missed the Los Angeles Lakers' last 11 games since injuring his groin against the Golden State Warriors on Christmas day. James' agent Rich Paul told ESPN that James would miss at least the next two games. He's being re-evaluated on Wednesday.
There's a reason to think James' may still be out for a while. Lakers head coach Luke Walton told reporters on Tuesday that James has been doing half-court work with the team, but hasn't yet been doing full-court work. That means James isn't yet running full-court after sitting out for three weeks.
The Athletic's Joe Vardon reported that when James' groin strain was initially diagnosed, the Lakers found a small tear in his groin. Groin injuries are among the trickiest and most nagging in sports, and if James were to re-injure it, it would be worse than this initial bout.
The Lakers have gone 4-7 in James' absence and have looked underwhelming. They've lost to good teams (the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz) and bad teams (the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers) alike. And their schedule is only getting harder.
James will miss the upcoming games against the Thunder and Houston Rockets, both of which are on the road. The Lakers then play the Warriors; James has not yet been ruled out of that game. It's hard to imagine a ruder return to the court than coming back to play the surging Warriors.
Things don't lighten up from there until the All-Star break. After playing the Warriors, six of the Lakers' next nine games are against some of the best teams in the league — the Philadelphia 76ers (twice), Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, Clippers, and Warriors again. Five of those games are on the road.
Eight of their 12 games before the All-Star break are on the road.
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In James' absence, the Lakers have fallen from fourth to eight in the West, and even momentarily dropped out of the playoff picture altogether. The standings in the deep Western Conference change nightly.
If James misses the next three games and the Lakers go 0-3, they would be 24-24. A .500 record would currently put the Lakers in 11th place in the Western Conference.
Even if James comes back for the final stretch before the All-Star break, he'll have the tough task of shaking off the rust as the Lakers hit the road to play several playoff teams.
Good teams in the Western Conference are going to miss the playoffs — there are not enough seeds for everyone. Injuries and random tiebreakers could make the difference between a postseason appearance and a season that ends in mid-April.
It may feel like there's a lot of the season left to be played, but each game matters more than ever. For the Lakers, making the postseason might depend on how soon they get James back and how close to 100% he is when he does return. Those two issues might conflict.
