LeBron James didn’t mince words after the Los Angeles Lakers narrowly escaped Utah with a 108–106 road win on Sunday night. In just his second game back from a sciatic nerve issue, the NBA’s all-time scoring leader revealed where he still feels behind.
LeBron Admits Conditioning Isn’t There Yet
Playing in his first road game since returning from a 14-game layoff, James said the biggest hurdle now isn’t pain — it’s stamina.
“I’m in great shape physically,” James said. “But as far as my wind, I got to (keep working). And it doesn’t help that it’s my second game back playing in Utah’s altitude.”
James finished with 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting, going 0-for-4 from three, and relying heavily on transition and power drives at the rim.
That lack of rhythm, he said, is simply part of catching up after missing the entire training camp.
“This week was kind of like my training camp,” he added. “I didn’t get an opportunity to practice with the guys at all. So I’m still working my way back.”
Lakers Survive Without Deandre Ayton
The victory didn’t come without a scare. Starting center Deandre Ayton exited in the first half with a knee contusion, leaving the Lakers thin in the frontcourt. Backup centers Jaxson Hayes and Maxi Kleber were thrust into heavier roles.
Hayes contributed five points and four rebounds in 18 minutes, while Kleber’s contributions were far more dramatic. He scored just two points, but they were enormous.
Kleber’s Only Basket Saves the Lakers
With the Jazz mounting a frenetic comeback late, Kleber came through with a clutch basket. Kleber’s emphatic dunk with 1:21 remaining became the difference-making basket — and was his 1,000th career field goal.
Lakers coach JJ Redick trusted Kleber down the stretch, and both he and James praised the former Dallas forward, who was acquired in the trade that shipped Luka Dončić back to Los Angeles.
“Maxi gave us big-time minutes,” James said. “He brought physicality… had a big-time move to get that dunk, (and) a couple of blocks. He was big for us and we needed it.”
Redick Explains Why LeBron’s Role Shifted Late
Redick noted that James’ scoring load wasn’t the focus, pointing instead to his passing and floor reads. The four-time MVP added eight assists, six rebounds and a steal in 34 minutes. After all, James no longer has to carry the team with Dončić (33 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists) and Austin Reaves (22 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists) around.
“He did a lot of good things as a passer,” Redick said of James. “We had a lot of success out of the post. We didn’t go to that late because of the Maxi matchup. When Maxi was out there, we were trying to space the floor, so we shifted more to that elbow isolation when we created a mismatch late.”
Redick emphasized that spacing dictated the strategy, especially with Ayton out.
“If Jackson or DA feels comfortable in the dunker spot, that’s one thing. But with Maxi, we needed him spaced,” Redick said. “LeBron made good decisions out of that alignment.”
The Lakers are now 2–0 since James’ return, but the 40-year-old admits more conditioning work lies ahead. As his wind catches up, Redick believes his rhythm — and the Lakers’ offensive identity — will follow.
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