Lakers’ Joy Shortlived as National Reporter Delivers Terrible LeBron James News

The NBA can get cruel with you at times, and if you are a purple-gray fan, the pinch might hurt you a bit hard as J. J. Redick‘s men have gone from fighting for 2nd to languishing in 5th in the blink of an eye. They do have 3 games in hand, but even if they win the games, they’ll be on the same record as the ones they wanna topple. The Nuggets, Grizzlies, and the Rockets are all on .632 pct. Though in the game against the Suns, there is good news about the return of Dalton Knecht. But what about Rui Hachimura and LeBron James?

Honestly, after they signed Luka Doncic, the Lakers were flying. And it seemed like a dream run as they had an 8-game win streak going. All well until injury hammered the king. James was sidelined with a groin problem and they’ve suddenly lost 4 on the bounce. What’s next? Hundreds of thousands of Lakers fans hoping and praying for a swift return of the trio of Knecht, Hachimura, and the King. But that needs to wait, at least for sometime more.

Hachimura has been out with a knee injury for the past 8 games. He’s been one of the team’s shining lights at 27. He’s only been playing about 32 minutes per game but still averaged 13.3 points and 5.2 boards while shooting half of his shots from the field. Luckily for the Showtime lovers, Rui is expected to be back within a week. In the initial report, forward Delton Knecht was also listed as probable for the Suns game. But NBA reporter Dave McMenamin has tweeted out that he is also available to face the Suns.

Knecht available, per the Lakers. https://t.co/tct9IIWzQf

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 16, 2025

Talking about the initial report, turns out Luka Doncic, Jaxson Hayes, Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent are available for the Suns game. Suddenly, the injury demon’s plague is running out. No matter how luck has not been on their side since James went out, the LA-based team seems to find their rhythm back finally.

LeBron James not expected for another week

The entire city of Los Angeles came together in support of James as they know what the 40-year-old brings to the court and the locker room. Can’t blame them because missing out on arguable the greatest of all-time does that to a person. During their loss to the Celtics, LeBron suffered a groin strain, and was expected to be out for 2 weeks. But Shams Charania from ESPN has reported that he will be out for another week at least.

To be honest, when most retire, the big man is still carrying the hopes of the Lakers. Commitment to the core, he was seen taking part in his first on-court workout ahead of the Suns game, which is progress. However, the doctors are cautious with their approach due to his advanced age.

“He is expected though, to miss another week. His exact return will be based on how his body responds to increased activity here over the coming days and the coming week. The Lakers AGs will be very cautious- he’s 40-years-old. This is a soft tissue injury. We know he’s played heavy minutes this season. He’s coming off the Olympics so it looks like it’s at least another week of game action for him,” says Charania on NBA Countdown.

Feb 20, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) signals to teammates during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

So yes, the Lakers joy is short-lived indeed. On one hand, they have the eventful returns of Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht, among others. But they’ve lost 4 games on the trot, 3/4 of them being without LeBron James. Is this just a coincidence, or does this signal deeper dependency issues on the King? The game against the Suns might break that streak, but fingers crossed.

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