If losing to the Boston Celtics after securing an 8-game win streak wasn’t enough bad news, the recent game saw LeBron James giving his fans an unfortunate scare. Midway through the 4th quarter, the 40-year-old went down with an injury and did not return in the remaining minutes. The injury was later diagnosed to be a left groin strain, which will sideline him for “weeks, not days”, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. In light of this, the player himself is looking to stay optimistic.

During a post-game Q&A session, LeBron James said that he would look at the injury and recovery process each day and see if it gets better. He will take the proper measurements and see what he needs to do going forward. LeBron has sustained such injuries throughout his two-decade-long career.

Therefore, a reporter inquired about the process for him, mentally, over the years of going through something of this nature. The player simply replied, “I don’t know. Sit down, grab a mike, and figure out what the best case scenario, best case plan is going to (be), you know, going forward.”

LeBron James gave the following update around the same time Dr Rajpal Brar provided his diagnosis. Brar is a Doctor of Physical Therapy who had previously shared his thoughts on an injury LeBron had sustained back in October 2021. The doctor could not say with certainty just how severe the NBA All-Time Scorer’s injury was. However, from a far away glance, he speculated that “Hopefully a grade 1 strain then. Can be 1-2 weeks. Grade 2, you’re looking at 3+ weeks”. Neither of the two timelines may not be comfortable for the Lakers since LeBron James is their lead scorer. However, the sooner he returns to the court, the better.

Groin Strains are to LeBron James what Ankle Injuries are to Stephen Curry: persistent. Since he joined the Lakers, the player has dealt with the ailment several times, with the first instance occurring on Christmas Day 2018. While the Lakers won that game against the Golden State Warriors, the injury caused LeBron to miss 17 straight games − then a career-high. LeBron didn’t play the final six games of that season. The Lakers went 5-12 without him, and their playoff hopes evaporated.

Up till this point, LeBron James had missed only 4 games this season. Under his and JJ Redick’s combined leadership presence, the Lakers have managed to do much better than last season. Once Luka Doncic joined the team, the team became close to unstoppable, going on a memorable win run and securing the 2 seed on the points chart. Now, with LeBron James’ absence set to be in weeks, the Lakers can easily lose their momentum. For this to happen just mere months, or even mere weeks, before the playoffs sparks trouble for the team. Therefore, going into the upcoming games, JJ Redick and the Lakers squad will have to figure out some things.

How can the Lakers proceed without LeBron James going forward?

According to RotoWire, if LeBron James becomes absent from the court for a long duration, then Dalton Knecht, Gabe Vincent, and Cam Reddish could see an increase in their on-court minutes. Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes cannot cover for the lead scorer, as both are sidelined with knee injuries.

In 59 games this season, Dalton Knecht has averaged 9.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. The rookie has often given out dominating performances when the opportunity presents itself. Therefore, he can surely be counted upon. Meanwhile, Gabe Vincent has averaged 5.6 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists throughout 54 games this season. Cam Reddish averaged 3.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 31 games this season. Together, all 3 can pull their weight to cover for LeBron James. Whether their efforts will be enough is something that remains to be seen.