The Los Angeles Lakers have pushed through the last week without star forward LeBron James due to an abdominal injury. The team remains mum concerning the severity of the ailment, creating growing concern. However, Lakers fans can finally exhale after the latest update.

LeBron James sidelined with abdominal injury

James entered his 19th campaign hoping to push past last season’s injuries, but those issues have flared up again.

The 36-year-old has missed the last four straight games due to an abdominal strain that occurred during the Nov. 2 win over the Houston Rockets. It happened not long after he missed two contests due to a right leg injury scare against the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 24.

Since then, the Lakers chose to keep the details of the injury private, creating outside concern. However, there is finally a crystal-clear update regarding the situation.

Lakers fans can finally breathe easy with LeBron James injury

Since James became sidelined, the Lakers have kept the severity of the injury an unknown, leading to outside concern sprouting.

The four-time league MVP remains out without any timetable for a return. However, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst provided a massive update during his appearance on “This Just In” with Max Kellerman, stating that James’ injury isn’t serious.

“This is not a severe injury. He is rehabbing this and from what I am told the rehab is going well,” Windhorst said. “He may have to do some reconditioning a little bit, but this is not going to keep him out for an extended period. He definitely has shown his age here on some of these muscle injuries like he had with the groin injury two years ago. There’s no doubt about that.

“This is not something that is gonna dramatically impact his ability. It’s coming at a portion of the schedule for the Lakers where it’s not that difficult. They haven’t done great, I agree, but this is a time if you’re going to nurse an injury, it’s this time of the season, and that’s what LeBron’s doing.”

The latest update should allow Lakers fans to exhale as the team is providing James time to let his body heal. In other words, Los Angeles wants him to fully recover rather than manage it over the rest of the season.

It’s also extremely early in the campaign, combined with a lighter schedule that doesn’t put so much of the onus on having him leading the charge. James will be back in the fold soon, but how when remains a mystery.

Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook are pushing Lakers forward

As James progresses through the rehab, the Lakers’ other two stars are picking up the slack.

After a crushing road loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, Los Angeles responded with back-to-back wins. Russell Westbrook has been at the center of the effort, posting triple-double performances in each contest. Although he’s picked up his production, Westbrook is still finding his spot within the game plan.

Anthony Davis remains the offensive anchor, averaging a double-double with 23.9 points and 11.3 rebounds while shooting 49.6% from the floor. He’s posted seven double-doubles, including the last two games.

Meanwhile, the Lakers are getting crucial offensive performances off the bench. Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points in Monday’s victory over the Charlotte Hornets, and Malik Monk recorded 27 points in Wednesday’s win over the Miami Heat.

The Lakers will need these collective effort to stay afloat until James returns.

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