LeBron James is yet to suit up for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. The veteran superstar has been dealing with sciatica.
He was recently assigned to the South Bay Lakers as he continues working toward making his season debut for JJ Redick’s team. On Sunday, Nov. 16, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that James has now been re-assigned to the Lakers after coming through multiple practice sessions unscathed.
“LeBron James has been reassigned back to the Lakers from NBA G League South Bay and will be a full participant at Lakers practice on Monday, sources tell ESPN,” Charania reported. “James completed multiple days of practices and 5-on-5 sessions this week in the G League and his debut is nearing.”
Adding LeBron back into the rotation will undoubtedly strengthen the Lakers. Even at this stage of his career, he’s still among the best forwards in the world, and should give the rotation some additional spacing due to his gravity on the court.
Last season, LeBron suited up for 70 regular-season games, averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds on 51.3% shooting from the field and 37.6% from deep.
Luka Doncic Is Excited For LeBron’s Lakers Return
When speaking to the media following the Lakers’ win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, Luka Doncic was asked about LeBron’s impending return to the rotation.
“I mean, LeBron’s played basketball [for a long time],” Doncic said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “It’s his [23rd] season … He knows everything about it … First of all, it’s defense. When we get stops, we can get anything.”
Doncic and LeBron formed a fearsome partnership during the second half of the 2024-25 season. With a new-look rotation built around Doncic’s strengths, it will be interesting to see how the two superstars gel together.
The Lakers have enjoyed a strong start to the season without their veteran superstar. They’ve won 10 of their opening 14 games and sit fourth in the loaded Western Conference.
Lakers Are Still Better With LeBron James
During a recent episode of the “Time Out with Dwyane Wade” podcast, the Hall of Famer noted how the Lakers have looked good to start the season, but are still better when LeBron is part of the rotation.
“This style of play they are playing without LeBron excites everybody, because it’s the future,” Wade said. “(But) you are not better without him.”
Wade then proceeded to praise the Lakers and how they’ve looked with Doncic running the show.
“(With James out) It allowed for Luka to run the show, obviously he’s been brought in as the future of the Lakers, it allowed us to see Dallas Luka again, but also to see his evolution and his growth,” he said. “I really love what the Lakers are doing, shoutout to JJ and the coaching staff. It’s really good to see the adjustments they are willing to make in year two.”
We will soon see how the Lakers look when LeBron is back in the rotation. Given his recovery, it’s likely he will make his debut in the coming week.
We will get a feel for what the full-strength Lakers look like once LeBron is back. Of course, he will need some time to get up to game speed.
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