The Recent Injury To LeBron James Could Have Big Implications On the Atlanta Hawks 2025 NBA Draft Position

James is going to be out for 1-2 weeks and with the Atlanta Hawks owning the Lakers draft pick in June, it could improve their pick

Mar 8, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) calls a play against the Boston Celtics during the second quarter at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers faced the Boston Celtics last night in one of the biggest NBA games of the season and the result was a big win for Boston. In the game though, Lakers superstar LeBron James exited with a groin injury and today, ESPN's NBA Insider Shams Charania reported that James is expected to miss 1-2 weeks.

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 have been the hottest team in the Western Conference since the shocking trade that resulted in them landing superstar Luka Doncic, but with James out, this team is undoubtedly weaker. James has been playing at an MVP level since the trade and without him, that is all going to fall on Doncic. Of course, Doncic is capable of carrying a team by himself, but the Lakers schedule is about to get very tough over the next couple of weeks.

Now I should say, the Lakers are not going to slip super far in the standings, but they could slip enough when it comes to overall draft position for the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft in June. Why is that important if you are the Atlanta Hawks? Well the Hawks own the Lakers unprotected pick in the draft and would love the pick to be as high as it can.

Heading into Sunday's games, the Hawks would own the 26th pick in the draft, but the Lakers are only a half game ahead of the Knicks, 1.5 games ahead of Memphis, two games ahead of the Rockets, and four ahead of the Bucks when it comes to draft position. With just a slight slip up over the next two weeks, the Hawks pick could improve as many as four or five spots if everything breaks right. Is it likely? With Doncic and Austin Reaves still on the roster, the Lakers have a chance in any game, but at the level James was playing at, that is going to be a massive loss until he returns and could cause the Lakers to lose some ground in the Western Conference.

Let's see how everything plays out over the last month of the season. The Hawks are hoping to bring in more talent this offseason and having as of a pick as they possibly can would help, even if it is just a pick improving from 26 to 22.

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