Even before the official beginning of the 2025-26 NBA regular season, things haven’t gotten off to the best start for the Los Angeles Lakers. During the team’s training camp and preseason ramp-up, they have been without many of their top players due to injury, specifically LeBron James.
Now, with the recent news that James will miss the first few weeks of the season due to suffering sciatica, things aren’t looking the brightest for Los Angeles. Speaking with the media after a practice about playing with both James and Luka Doncic, new addition Deandre Ayton gave a blunt response.
“I haven’t,” Ayton said in response to whether he’s been on the court with the Lakers’ two tip stars together. “It’s something I’ve just been waiting on and just got to prepare. JJ and the coaching staff probably have something where, they can put stuff together for all of us to really grow chemistry.”
Doncic sat out for some of the team’s preseason activities for rest after coming off a run at the 2025 EuroBasket tournament. James suffered a recent glute injury and will be out for about a month.
On his podcast, Lakers insider Jovan Buha said there is ‘tension‘ and ‘frustration‘ around the team due to many players not being healthy and available for their training camp.
Lakers ‘Frustration Simmering’
While neither James nor Doncic has played in the Lakers’ first two preseason games, the two aren’t the only Los Angeles players who have been absent on the court.
Over the past week, head coach JJ Redick has dealt with injuries or illnesses from Marcus Smart, Adou Thiero, Maxi Kleber, Austin Reaves, and, obviously, James. With such a big chunk of players missing time at a crucial point of the calendar, Buha said some negative feelings are ‘simmering’ around the team.
“There’s a little frustration simmering. I think there’s a little tension simmering, with this whole situation of not having everyone available,” Buha said on his podcast. “To be clear, I don’t think anyone’s at fault, I just think the situation is collectively frustrating.”
For a team that was already redeveloped over the summer, the preseason is usually the time when a team’s top players start to learn each other’s tendencies and how to play together. That hasn’t been the case for the Lakers so far, and less than two weeks before the start of the regular season, they have yet to have a practice with the full roster.
“It has just been every day, something else,” Buha added about the Lakers’ injuries. “The Lakers have not been able to get a clear picture of what this group looks like.”
The lingering injuries from some of Los Angeles’ rotational players aren’t anything out of the ordinary, but James’ injury could be a more concerning sign. The 40-year-old had yet to miss a season opener in his 23-year career, but that streak will come to an end soon.
According to Buha, Redick said James is ‘on his own timeline’ for a return.
With LeBron James Sidelined, Luka Doncic Expectations Rise
Though Los Angeles has already committed to Doncic as its new franchise superstar, the expectations on the 26-year-old Slovenian rise even higher with James set to miss the start of the season.
Doncic’s teammates have looked well upon his new role as the team’s leader. After he organized a team bonding event of driving Porsche cars, Ayton gave high praise to his point guard.
“I truly appreciate Luka for that,” Ayton said. “I’ve never done that before, where the star players really look out for the team like that.”
Doncic seems to have the support of his teammates as he enters his first full season with the Lakers, but support, or at least high expectations, seems to be coming in from around the league. In a recent NBA general manager survey published on NBA.com, Doncic was named as having the second-best chance to win this year’s MVP award, behind only Nikola Jokic.
In an article by Bleacher Report, Doncic is also expected to take a leap this season with his new team. After being traded by Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, he has a lot to prove in Los Angeles.
“Dončić must use the upcoming season to ensure everyone agrees Harrison and the Mavs made one of the biggest mistakes in league history,” Grant Hughes wrote. “Dončić needs to prove he’s the surefire perennial MVP candidate he appeared to be before last year’s falloff.”
He hasn’t yet suited up in a preseason game, but with James out for the next few weeks, Doncic’s role on the Lakers rises to even greater extents. The team still doesn’t have a large chunk of its players healthy, and that could be a significant issue as the team’s season opener approaches.
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