LeBron James Won't Play vs. Warriors Because of Maintenance After Groin Injury

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will not play in Saturday night's game against the Golden State Warriors because of "load management," head coach Luke Walton told reporters.

This comes after he returned to the court on Thursday against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing more than a month because of a groin strain suffered on Christmas Day during a blowout win over Golden State. It was the first time in years that an injury forced him to leave a game early, and he has usually been able to play through minor ailments during his career.

In 16 years in the NBA, he had never missed more than 13 games in a single season.

He also played all 82 games last season for the first time in his career, leading the NBA with 36.9 minutes per game. This makes any missed time a significant concern, although there should be plenty of faith that he will be back on the court as soon as possible.

When healthy, James is still one of the most dominant players in the NBA.

The 34-year-old has finished in the top five of MVP voting in each of the last 13 seasons and is on the right track again in 2018-19. He is averaging 27.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game during his first season with the Lakers.

Still, Los Angeles has more depth than it has had in years and should be able to handle an extended absence if needed.

"If he's down, we're ready to step up," Josh Hart said after James' injury at Christmas, per Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen and Roll. "None of us are scared of the spotlight."

Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma will have to step up their scoring with James unavailable, while Rajon Rondo should see more time running the offense.