Laker Nation was ecstatic when they found out that LeBron James would return to the lineup against the Bulls following a seven-game hiatus. But they were not prepared for what happened next. Their joy quickly turned into a nightmare as James struggled to find his rhythm all night and finished with only 17 points. More importantly, the Lakers lost.

After the embarrassing outing, LBJ acknowledged that he felt a “little rusty” on the court but was happy to be back. Moreover, he was focused on the next task at hand—the 4-game road trip that starts on Monday in Orlando. Sending a stern message to the locker room, James said, “Every game is huge for sure, and we gotta recoup. Obviously, our last road trip, we didn’t play well at all. Lost all four. So, it’s definitely in the back of our minds. On Monday, we gotta play better basketball than we did tonight and what we did on our last road trip.”

Yes, the last time Lake Show was on the road, they lost all four games. Of course, a major reason behind it was that LeBron injured his groin on the very first night against the Celtics and was sidelined for the remainder of the trip. However, he hopes to stay available this time and help his team avoid past concerns.

Moreover, King James is particularly looking forward to Thursday’s game in Chicago as it will be his chance at redemption for last night’s loss. He added, “We gotta do a better job. We’ll see these guys next week, so we should be well equipped with what they bring to the table.” But that will only be possible if he can stay healthy for the entire road trip. LBJ, however, is not looking that far in the future.

LeBron James not worried about future amid injury as Lakers aim to avoid Play-in tournament

With James looking like a shell of himself against the Bulls, many were left wondering if he hadn’t fully recovered from his groin injury. He provided further update during the post-game interview, “I just take it day by day. I can’t worry about what’s gonna happen in the future. But I mean I got through today. Obviously, will get some work on it tomorrow and hopefully little bit on the plane as tomorrow’s flight for Orlando. And once we get to Orlando and get ready for Monday. So, I hope its behind, but I don’t want to look too far in the future.”

Yes, he is optimistic about staying healthy and is taking it one game at a time. Moreover, LeBron believes the Lakers have enough time to regroup and regain their momentum before the playoffs begin, “We got 12 games to position ourself in the postseason. We pretty much can control our own destiny if we win ball games and not have to be in the Play-in.” Well, the Lakers are currently at the fourth seed. But there is still a risk of falling into the play-in bracket as only three wins separate them and the seventh-seeded Clippers.

Lakers would want to avoid the additional knockout games at all costs because it puts their playoff dream at risk and adds to the injured players’ fatigue. Do you think they can regroup and start their road trip on a positive note this Monday against the Magic?