James certainly took issue with the turnaround in a series of tweets earlier this year, expressing concern about the injuries to multiple All-Stars. They completed a 72-game regular season in less than 150 days. We're not talking about an ACL or Achilles injury.Īs for the "bubble" season, the other side of the coin is that the Lakers had the shortest offseason in league history after capturing the title (71 days). The abdominal and groin strains obviously aren't ideal, but James hasn't required a major surgery. The ankle injury was the result of a player diving at James' feet, not his body breaking down. Yes, the injuries are piling up, but it's worth adding some context here. Why the Lakers shouldn't be concerned about LeBron James And he has been sitting a lot more lately. Simply put, when James sits, it usually spells disaster for the Lakers.
James has defied the aging curve and posted insane numbers into his mid-30s, but Father Time comes for everyone. The guys ahead of James on the all-time minutes list (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett) took great care of their bodies in order to extend their careers, but they eventually broke down and saw sharp declines in productivity. He has played in 266 postseason games, the equivalent of participating in an additional three regular seasons - but with more intensity. The four-time NBA MVP has played 50,277 regular-season minutes (fifth on the all-time list) and 11,035 playoff minutes (first on the all-time list) in his career.
Just as concerning as his recent injury history is James' volume of minutes played. Source: ESPN Stats and Info (current as of Nov. Percentage of regular-season games played From 2003-2018, he played in 94 percent of regular-season games, but he has played in less than 75 percent of regular-season games from 2018-2021. James' health problems are even more alarming when comparing his run with the Lakers to his previous stints with the Cavaliers and Heat. Even though the Los Angeles Lakers were able to make a comeback against the Houston Rockets, they did not come out unscathed as LeBron James suffered an abdominal injury. The logical response here: What about that 2019-20 championship season? Worked out pretty well, huh? Yes, but James experienced what was essentially a typical offseason before teams entered the Florida "bubble." Without the benefit of those months of rest, would James have suffered another injury? Los Angeles has struggled without James this season, most notably losing a game against Oklahoma City in which it held a comfortable lead. He sat out for an extended stretch in 2020-21 after going down with a high ankle sprain, and the Lakers fell to the Suns in the first round. He suffered a groin strain during the 2018-19 season, a rough campaign that ended with Los Angeles missing the playoffs. The three most significant injuries of James' career have occurred while playing for the Lakers. Why the Lakers should be concerned about LeBron James