Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been absent from the last five games because of a left groin injury.
The 40-year-old star is greatly missed, not just because he is likely the best player on the team, but also due to his strong communication and defensive skills that he has displayed during L.A.’s impressive run since mid-January.
James has been a huge asset for the Lakers. Even though L.A. has Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the team doesn’t perform at its best without James on the court.
However, while he is sidelined, there’s a chance James might return to play later this week. He was originally expected to be out for one to two weeks, and this two-week period will end on Saturday, March 22.
If James comes back on Saturday and plays the rest of the games, he will have played 71 games. In that situation, James would qualify for all the major awards since the minimum requirement is 65 games.
Even though he has missed some time, Zach Buckley from Bleacher Report believes that James can still maintain his All-NBA streak.
The current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) states that a player must play at least 65 games to be eligible for post-season awards, but there is a significant challenge standing in his way. He recently suffered a groin strain that caused him to miss a key game against the Boston Celtics, and it could keep him out for one to two weeks, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
So far, James has played in 58 games, but he seems likely to overcome this hurdle. His strong dedication to staying in shape and maintaining his health makes it reasonable to believe he could return sooner rather than later and quickly get back to his previous performance. If he achieves this, his impressive stats—averaging 25 points, 8.5 assists, and 8.2 rebounds per game—should be enough to earn him another All-NBA selection.
James has had an impressive performance throughout the season and may even receive some MVP votes. The Lakers are in a strong position to secure at least a top-six seed in the playoffs.
His record will support his case, and his stats are impressive too. This season, James is averaging 25 points per game, with a shooting percentage of 51.7% from the field and 38.4% from three-point range, over 58 games and 34.9 minutes per game.
Throughout his career, James has been named to the All-NBA team 20 times and is very likely to make it for the 21st time, whether it’s on the first, second, or third team. His statistics back this up.
When James comes back, he will be eligible and should definitely make one of those three teams.
