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LeBron James could use some rest. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers forward provided an update on the state of his left knee, which recently caused him to miss five games due to soreness and swelling. He was blunt about the fact that it's not 100 percent, and probably won't be anytime soon.
“It's here,” James coyly cracked when asked about the status of his knee. “It’s the same as my ankle (last year). The only way it can get back to full strength is rest and I haven’t had the luxury of having rest.”
(LeBron missed 20 games last season with a severe high ankle sprain he suffered when Atlanta Hawks forward Solomon Hill fell into his leg. James returned for the stretch run and the playoffs but was visibly compromised. At Media Day, he said he needed two months of rest over the summer before he could fully ramp up basketball activities.)
LeBron — amongst the lead leaders in minutes and points in his 19th season — woke up with swelling in his knee on Jan. 27. He said he aggravated his knee in the matchup vs. the Brooklyn Nets two days prior, and his knee was a “total wreck.” He needed eight days to get the swelling down before he returned to action on Feb. 5 against the New York Knicks. That game went to overtime, causing the 37-year old to play 39 minutes.
LeBron James provided an update on the status of his knee and how he's recovering after playing 39 minutes in the Lakers win on Saturday. (In a different answer, he said his knee was a "total wreck" when he woke up the morning of the Philly game on Jan. 27.) pic.twitter.com/qxtpbWp2os
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvo_) February 7, 2022
In the four games since LeBron has returned, he's averaged 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 8.3 rebounds in 37.4 minutes per game. He's 50 percent from the field, 35.5 percent from three, and 56.3 percent from the line. Most recently, he shot 2-of-15 in the second half and 1-of-10 in the fourth quarter iin the Lakers' loss to the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center on Saturday, though he didn't cite the knee as hampering him afterward.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2cAwXlGAL4mGIhLUOXuBmB?si=fa6152446199480b
Fortunately, LeBron and the Lakers will get 10 days off meaningful basketball games after Wednesday's matchup vs. the Utah Jazz. LeBron will be in Cleveland for the All-Star Game on Sunday, but will likely take it easy in that game and rest it as much as possible during that span.
