Nine-Year NBA Veteran's Luka Doncic Statement After LeBron James Injury

After becoming one of the hottest teams in the NBA with their fresh duo of LeBron James and Luka Doncic, the Los Angeles Lakers have lost two consecutive games and are in jeopardy of falling hard.

During their loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday, James went down with an injury that would sideline him for the final stretch. James suffered a groin strain and is now expected to be sidelined one-to-two weeks, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is expected to miss at least 1-to-2 weeks with a groin strain, sources tell ESPN. James will wait for the groin injury to calm down over the next 24 hours and receive another evaluation. pic.twitter.com/17mWxsaXN3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 9, 2025

The Lakers are a completely different team without James on the court and it showed in their loss to the 22-win Brooklyn Nets on Monday. While the Lakers will not be the same without James as he recovers, nine-year NBA veteran and former Memphis Grizzlies standout Chandler Parsons believes it gives Doncic an opportunity to shine.

"I think this is a great time for Luka to get his rhythm, to get him going," Parsons said. "This is a great opportunity for him to fully have the keys, get his legs, get his conditioning all in tip-top shape going down the stretch of the season. I think it might work to their favor."

“I think this is a perfect time. I think this is great long term for the rest of the season for Luka.” 👀@ChandlerParsons says that Lebron being out is actually GREAT for the Lakers despite them struggling historically without Lebron in the lineup!

Do you agree?… pic.twitter.com/o8g8jeWjm9
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 11, 2025

"I'm not saying they're better without LeBron James because that's not even close to the truth, but I think it long-term might help them out," Parsons finished.

In 12 games with the Lakers, Doncic is averaging 24.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 8.0 assists. Playing next to James marks the first time in his career that a teammate has challenged him as the best player on the court, so James' injury could give him an opportunity to get more comfortable in LA and take over the team like he is used to.

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