When LeBron James went down with a groin injury in the Los Angeles Lakers win over the Golden State Warriors, fans hoped for the best. Even Magic Johnson came out told TMZ Sports that he is happy right now and that the Lakers will be okay concerning the LeBron injury. However, there are now reports coming from ESPN that indicate that the original prognosis of two to three missed games might be on the low side and that James might instead miss "several games" with what has turned out to be a significant injury.

LeBron James injury update

According to ESPN, the LeBron James injury is not "serious" but it is a "significant" groin injury for the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.

What this means is that the injury will not require surgery or anything that big -- the definition of "serious" -- but it is not something that he can just come back from instantly.

The Lakers say that LeBron is "day-to-day" right now, which means no stop on the actual injury list and they can bring him back at any time. The problem is that sources inside the Lakers organization told ESPN that they expect James to miss multiple games.

LeBron James has been very durable his entire career which is good and bad. Of course, it is good because he has remained healthy. Players like Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose watched their skills decline due to injuries over their career while LeBron is still on top.

However, it is bad because he has never had to deal with an injury like this before. LeBron has never had to recover from a severe groin injury before so he needs to sit out and work things out so he knows how his body will respond to the treatment he receives. Since he has no experience with how his body will react to a groin injury like this, the Los Angeles Lakers do not want to rush him back.

The Lakers will almost surely be without LeBron James for their next three games, which includes a road trip against the Sacramento Kings and home games against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Kings. With those two teams right behind the Lakers in the West, they need to play strong to stay up in the rankings.

Next week, the Lakers play the Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks at home and the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road.

That means four important games in a row before two against subpar teams -- if LeBron misses over a week.

Lakers looking at improving

The Los Angeles Lakers have strong young talent but they know that they need a big star to put alongside LeBron James -- especially for times like this. The Lakers have no Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love to step up like the Cleveland Cavaliers did.

Of course, the biggest target is Anthony Davis -- who the New Orleans Pelicans say they have no intention of trading. Even when he becomes a free agent, ESPN reported today that a source close to him said that he is not "dead set" on joining the Los Angeles Lakers.

Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks is a little more committal, as he smiled when he heard that LeBron James mentioned his name as a possible teammate in the future and said: "maybe one day, we'll see."
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