The first time he had suffered a groin injury, LeBron James was out for the next 17 days. The setback happened on Christmas Day in 2018, during his first season with the Lakers. James was in for a rough Saturday night again for this was the third time he got hit with it as the Lakers took on the Celtics. As James drove against Jaylen Brown, he made a left-handed floating hook shot. It helped with the Lakers’ deficit and brought the scores to 92-85 with 7:05 minutes left. They almost had the momentum shifting until James started walking gingerly.

The Lakers called a timeout with 6:44 remaining, and soon, the star player broke it down to his coach JJ Redick: “It’s my groin.” At that point, the head coach began mapping a plan for how his team could still manage a win without him. Mentally, at least, he had ruled out James for the rest of the game. Eventually, they lost 101-111. But it didn’t just end there, the Lakers also lost against the Nets on Monday without their superstar.

James’ injury became the biggest topic of discussion despite the fact that he reassured it wasn’t as serious of an injury. To everyone’s relief, team sources confirmed that he would miss about one or two weeks. “No, it’s not as bad as that [his 2018 injury],” James said. “It’s not as bad as that.” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote in a new tweet: “Lakers’ LeBron James has returned to Los Angeles, per medical recommendation, as he continues to progress well from a groin strain with the team finishing road trip Thursday in Milwaukee and Friday in Denver, league sources tell ESPN.” But what both James and his team downplayed at the time was that he could be out for much longer due to groin strain. So, how much bench time are we looking at?

With two games left before they return home, he’ll take this opportunity to recover and avoid any unnecessary setbacks. But the 21x All-Star might be out for at least the next nine to ten games, pushing his return to around the three-week mark. Before the injury, he was putting up 25 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game while shooting over 51 percent from the field and nearly 38 percent from deep. Even in year 22, he is doing LeBron things.

JJ Redick should have enough firepower to stay afloat in the brutal Western Conference, but injuries are stacking up fast. James isn’t the only one sidelined—Jaxson Hayes, their much-needed center, is also out.

Hayes has been nursing a right knee contusion, missing the last two games. He won’t suit up against the Bucks on Thursday either, which kicks off a back-to-back for L.A., and that will be the third straight game he will miss. The Lakers are in survival mode right now, hoping to keep things steady until their key players get back on the floor. But what really happened to Hayes?

You see, during the game against the New York Knicks, the player happened to hyperextend his knee after being fouled by Karl-Anthony Towns during a layup attempt. “Don’t think it’s anything serious,” Coach JJ Redick said later. “We’ve just been monitoring his swelling and his mobility. He’ll be out. And hopefully, he’s back soon.”

The Lakers won’t catch a break anytime soon, especially without the 4x MVP leading the charge. Their next two games? A brutal stretch against the Bucks and Nuggets—two teams with serious title aspirations. That Denver matchup is huge, considering L.A. is just one game behind Nikola Jokić and crew in the race for the No. 2 seed. To make things even trickier, the Western Conference standings are a mess. The Lakers are locked in a tie with the Grizzlies and barely holding a one-game edge over the Rockets. Without their franchise star, sliding down the rankings feels almost inevitable.

That puts even more weight on Luka Dončić’s shoulders. He’s still figuring things out in L.A. after that blockbuster trade from Dallas, but there’s no time. With LeBron James sidelined, it’s on him to step up, take control of the offense, and keep the Lakers from slipping in the standings. But against the Brooklyn Nets, frustration got the best of him.

Luka Doncic was not happy with the refs!

Luka Doncic had a rough night against the Nets, leaving him annoyed. With LeBron James sidelined, the Lakers needed him to step up, but he struggled, shooting just 8-for-26 from the field despite finishing with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. To make matters worse, the officiating had him fuming—so much so that he even picked up a technical after arguing with the ref.

“I’m not going to say anything, but I think everybody saw the game, so they know what happened,” he said later.

“I think Luka is Luka and we’re not asking him to do anything or be anyone that he’s not,” Redick said. “I think we’re also not asking the other guys to step up and be someone they’re not. We have enough firepower with Austin and Luka as shot creators and we’ll do our best to have shooting out there with them.”

Meanwhile, James sat at the end of the bench in a red cap, watching his team fight without him. At one point, he was even dribbling a ball during a stoppage—a sign his groin injury might not be too serious. He already downplayed its severity after Saturday’s game, saying it wasn’t as bad as the 2018 strain.

The Lakers jumped out to a 15-point lead early but fell apart in the second quarter. Brooklyn blitzed Doncic, forcing the ball out of his hands, and the offense stalled. Austin Reaves also had a rough night, missing his first eight shots before finishing 3-for-14.

Despite big nights from Gabe Vincent (24 points) and rookie Dalton Knecht (19), the Lakers lost 111-108—dropping their second straight after an eight-game win streak. With LeBron James still sidelined, the pressure on Doncic and Reaves will be the same. The offense needs to find a rhythm, and frustrations—whether from poor shooting or questionable officiating—can’t be an excuse. What do you think?