The Los Angeles Lakers won’t have LeBron James for Thursday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and his absence looks like it will extend beyond just this one game. James is dealing with an abdominal strain, and according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the plan is to take a slow and stead approach to getting him back onto the floor.
While no timeline for his return has been provided by the Lakers, a source familiar with the injury told ESPN that the team’s medical staff “wants to take their time” with James’ recovery.
A clear-cut timeline still is not available for when James can take the floor, but Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that the expectation is the Lakers star will miss at least a week due to the injury.
Lakers star LeBron James is expected to miss at least one week with abdominal strain, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Lakers want to be cautious with James’ injury early this season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 4, 2021
James has missed two games this season, although both of those were due to a lingering ankle issue. This injury, per McMenamin, was aggravated on Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets. The Lakers sit at 5-3 at this early point in the season — they went 1-1 in James’ previous absence — while the team’s former league MVP has struggled by his lofty standards. On the year, James is averaging 24.8 points, seven assists, and 5.5 rebounds in 37 minutes per game.