"The cushion isn't huge" - Ex-Warriors GM raises alarm over Lakers' future following LeBron James' injury setback

LA Lakers superstar forward LeBron James is reportedly facing a potential weeks-long absence after sustaining a groin injury. Following the news, ex-Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers expressed pessimism about LA's chances of retaining a top seed in the unrelenting Western Conference.

James exited during the fourth quarter of Saturday's 111-101 road loss to the Boston Celtics and was ruled out due to a left groin strain. A day later, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the injury is expected to sideline the four-time MVP for "at least one to two weeks."

Charania added that James "will wait for the groin injury to calm down over the next 24 hours and receive another evaluation."

James and the new-look Lakers were on a roll entering Saturday, riding a season-high eight-game winning streak.

The team still has superstar guard Luka Doncic to orchestrate its offense in James' absence. Nevertheless, Myers is skeptical about whether LA (40-22, second in the West) can stave off the three teams below it in the standings.

"If (James' injury) goes past two weeks, they could easily fall to 4th," Myers said on "NBA Countdown" on Monday.

"The cushion isn't huge. They've got 22 losses, Denver's got 23, Memphis has 24, Houston has 25. That's a three-game difference between them and Houston. So, I could see them slipping to four or five."

To Myers' point, the Lakers have the NBA's fifth-toughest remaining strength of schedule, with an average opponent winning percentage of 53.8%. That includes two matchups against the West's third-seeded Denver Nuggets (41-23) over the next 10 days, adding pressure on Doncic to carry his new squad.

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Bob Myers questions Luka Doncic's ability to hold up physically in LeBron James' absence

While discussing LA's prospects without LeBron James, Bob Myers noted that Luka Doncic's health is also a question mark. Myers cited Doncic seemingly laboring through a back injury throughout Saturday's loss to Boston.

"Also, you watched that game yesterday, Doncic is grabbing his back. He's not exactly a picture of health himself, so he's gonna have to do more," Myers said.

Despite finishing with a team-high 34 points, eight rebounds and five 3-pointers, shooting 50.0% against the Celtics, Doncic popped up on the Lakers' injury report. The five-time All-Star is listed as questionable due to back soreness for Monday's road matchup against the Brooklyn Nets (21-42).

If Doncic misses time alongside James, LA will likely struggle to overcome a lack of playmaking, with shooting guard Austin Reaves as its primary distributor.

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