Lakers' JJ Redick reveals 2 things LA must do after LeBron James' groin injury
03/09/2025 02:39 PM
The Los Angeles Lakers fell 111-101 to the Boston Celtics on the road Saturday night. LeBron James left the game with a groin injury and could be out for a few weeks. Lakers head coach JJ Reddick elaborated on what the team needs to do in James’ absence.
“I think we just have to continue to play hard and play defense,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the loss via ESPN.
James was unable to help his team get the job done down the stretch, but was cheering the Lakers on from the locker room as they attempted to finish the comeback.
“I looked at the score. … I was like, ‘Oh s—,'” James said. “Those are moments you live for, especially in a game like this, not being out there. So I was cheering on the guys while I was back here (in the locker room).”
James played 35 minutes, ending up with 22 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and shot 11-of-23 from the field.
The Lakers return to action on Monday night when they take on the Brooklyn Nets on the road. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
How did James’ Lakers teammates react to his injury?
The Los Angeles Lakers were not excited to see LeBron James exit their Saturday night matchup against the Boston Celtics. James is the kind of player whose absence will always be noticeable when it occurs.
"Obviously, to get injured at this time, those (groin) injuries are — I don't want to say the worst, but they are tough to deal with," Luka Dončić said. "So, just take his time. And we got to have as a team a next-man-up mentality."
The Lakers have faced their share of adversity this season and have managed to bounce back each time. Guard Austin Reaves does not expect this situation to be any different.
"We've had many situations where a player deals with some type of injury or a trade or whatever it is, and we've done a really good job of bouncing back," Reaves said. "And I don't expect anything else. It's a next-man-up mentality. Not one person's gonna do what LeBron does for us. But you can do it as a collective. And … hopefully, he gets back out on the court soon."
James is confident in his team and its ability to compete against any team in the NBA.
"We can compete versus anyone in this league," James said. "So, we'll be fine. We got to continue to build our habits. … We made an acquisition late in the season, and we're still trying to build. And we want to get full. That's the No. 1 objective for us: How we can get full and get all our guys together and see exactly what we look like."
The post Lakers’ JJ Redick reveals 2 things LA must do after LeBron James’ groin injury appeared first on ClutchPoints.
