The Los Angeles Lakers have been without their biggest star for over two weeks, but there's hope his return is coming soon.
The team announced on Thursday that James is making progress with his strained groin and has been cleared to increase on-court basketball activities. The Lakers said they'll provide an update on Jan. 16 -- a day before they play the Oklahoma City Thunder.
James originally suffered the injury on Christmas Day against the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers star forward attempted to drive to the basket before being cut off by Draymond Green. James tried to stop, but his leg gave out and he appeared to be in a considerable amount of pain.
With James being out of the lineup for another game, the Lakers will be forced to continue to adapt and adjust without their franchise player. Since the 16-year veteran initially suffered his injury on Christmas Day, the Lakers are just 3-5 overall and have dropped to eighth place in the Western Conference.
The Lakers have won their past two games that James has missed, including Wednesday's 113-100 win over the Detroit Pistons. Kyle Kuzma erupted for 41 points to lead the way in the win.
