Through the first week of the season, injuries have been the biggest storyline of the Los Angeles Lakers. With LeBron James and Luka Doncic sidelined, it’s been Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton setting up. But despite their strong performances, that doesn’t mean the Lakers aren’t missing their two superstars.
James has been out for the entire season, as weeks ago, Shams Charania of ESPN reported the 21-time All-Star would miss the first few weeks of the season. Now, five games into the season, the public has finally gotten an update on the star.
According to Dave McMenamin, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said James still doesn’t have a timeline for a return, but is hoping to make his season debut relatively soon.
“JJ Redick says there is no set return date in mind for LeBron James but the team is eyeing the second or third week of November as the general range,” McMenamin wrote in a post on X.
The NBA insider also gave an update on Doncic, which bodes well for the team moving forward. While middling record to start the year might not be the best sign with their two stars out, Reaves has been a revelation to begin the season, a more-than-decent replacement for the two offensive juggernauts.
LeBron James Has Yet To Play This Season
Updates on James and his injury have been sparse over the past few weeks. After the original reporting that the star would miss three or four weeks, with an expected return of early November, he’s been quiet while watching Lakers games from the bench.
Less than a week before the season, Charania reported Los Angeles was taking a ‘patient approach to James’ return, and with McMenamin’s update, that seems to be the case.
The potential impact of sciatica could be long-term, and as James enters his record-breaking 23rd NBA season, the Lakers are taking a more conservative approach, one likely more careful than the star has endured compared to the rest of his career.
Additionally, Father Time has finally shown signs of catching up with James. Yes, he did make Second-Team All-NBA last season at age 40, but he isn’t the same player who led his team to ten straight Finals appearances in the 2010s.
James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists on 51.3% shooting in 70 games for the Lakers last season. Whenever he does return, his numbers are expected to drop a bit due to Doncic and Reaves’ recent Herculean efforts, but he remains a player sought after by the entire league.
Lakers Injury Report Is No Joke
The injuries between James and Doncic have garnered more attention, but the Lakers have been extremely injury-riddled to start the season. Rookie Adou Thiero and veteran Maxi Kleber are yet to play, while Marcus Smart, Gabe Vincent, and Jaxson Hayes have bounced in and out of the daily injury report.
In the team’s recent game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Redick had only seven full-time rostered players to work with. As Jacob Rude wrote for Silver Screen and Roll, that doesn’t bode well, regardless of how well a player like Reaves is performing.
“No matter who is available, it’s going to be a mix-and-match type of night with lineups that never have, and maybe never again will, played together and groups that are going to struggle,” he wrote. “The hope is that someone has a big night scoring the ball and the Lakers are able to steal another win, but the deck is stacked against them.”
While availability has been tough, Los Angeles is still third in field goal percentage and fourth in points in the paint through the first eight days of the season. They have wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings, while Reaves has been playing at an All-NBA level.
Things certainly aren’t great for the Lakers with James and Doncic out, but it could certainly be going worse, especially in the Western Conference.
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