“Will LeBron James join the Lakers for their 5 game road trip?” – LA Lakers head coach Frank Vogel releases a statement on the four-time champion’s abdominal injury

LeBron James has not played a game since 3rd November, his last game being against the Houston Rockets.

LeBron James has been somewhat injury-prone in the past year, sitting out a lot of games at a stretch for the first time in his career. His latest injury was an abdominal strain, one that has kept him out for four games in a row. Initially thought to be severe, Frank Vogel has come out and said LeBron has been progressing nicely and is now listed as day-to-day. Fans of the kid from Akron can rejoice, they may very well see King James suit up quicker than expected.

The Lakers have had a lot of injuries to start the season off, with Trevor Ariza yet to make his season debut. Much has been said about the possibility of the team maintaining fitness, and the way they have started the season confirms that. Currently seventh in the west, the Lakers have had five separate long-term injuries, which means the time to build chemistry isn’t there yet.

They also lost to OKC, both those games came when James was injured. Losing by giving up 15+ point leads both times. LeBron has been missed by the purple and gold this season. With the team being very erratic with their scoring, winning by a whisker even when they did.

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Frank Vogel says LeBron James’ rehab is “progressing nicely” and he’s resumed on-court basketball activities. Vogel doesn’t think he’ll be out much longer. He’s day-to-day.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) November 13, 2021

The Lakers may be overly dependent on a slowing down LeBron James

The majority of the Lakers roster is filled with players above the age of 30, something that has been a talking point amongst the fans everywhere. With the Lakers trading away young players in search of a championship, this gamble needs to pay off otherwise the future is in big trouble. While this could be proved wrong, dependency on a soon-to-be 37-year-old James to win games isn’t ideal.

Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook had been tipped to lead the Lakers in the absence of James, but an unlikely hero Carmelo Anthony has been the one that has grabbed all the headlines this season. He’s been putting up consistent numbers that have put him in strong contention for the 6MOTY title. Frank Vogel would love to go out on a road trip on the back of a couple of wins at home.

This early season chatter may just as well be proven wrong, with the Los Angeles team making strides game by game and improving team chemistry. How this all transpires into a title-winning team with such a start, we are yet to see. One thing is for sure, LeBron James is needed on the floor as soon as possible because the team cannot seem to find a groove without him running the offense.

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