Lakers Rumors: LeBron James Encouraged Anthony Davis Not to Rush Back from Injury

On the brink of first-round elimination for the first time in his career, LeBron James reportedly isn't pushing Anthony Davis to rush back from injury.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported James spoke to Davis before Game 5's matchup against the Phoenix Suns and advised him to not rush back from his groin strain. James previously dealt with a groin strain during the 2018-19 season.

Davis took the court twice before Game 5 in an attempt to ramp his body up but was not cleared for action. Haynes' report noted that Davis was in obvious pain working out on the floor and struggled to move laterally.

It's unclear if Davis will be able to play in Game 6, but that would appear unlikely. Groin injuries don't tend to magically heal over a 48-hour timespan; James missed several weeks with his groin injury in 2019 before eventually shutting his season down when the Lakers were eliminated from playoff contention.

The Lakers looked listless without Davis on the floor Tuesday night, with the Suns earning a 115-85 blowout victory. James, himself still dealing with a high-ankle sprain, was limited to 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting. Dennis Schroder, expected to pick up some of the scoring slack in Davis' stead, went scoreless and missed all nine of his shots.

The Lakers have the look of a team that is ready to throw in the towel and lick their wounds over the course of a full offseason.