Entering his 23rd year in the league, LeBron James will miss his first ever opening night game in the NBA.
On Thursday, October 9th, ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania reported that LeBron James will miss approximately 3-4 weeks due to sciatica in his right side. Charania went on ESPN’s ‘NBA Today’ and reported that this injury first developed around late July to early August during an on-court workout.
James had not been a participant in L.A.’s practices for the last two weeks. While earlier reports did address that LeBron was dealing with nerve irritation, the initial thought was that the Lakers were holding him out as a precaution and that he would be ready to suit up for opening day.
Not an ideal start to the season for L.A. and with James likely out until mid-November, that leaves a massive amount of responsibility on not only the shoulders of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, but the team as a whole to keep the ship afloat until he returns. Everyone’s role will increase, and it makes sense now why the Lakers have been so cautious with Luka and Austin’s playing time during the preseason.
What does the Lakers’ rotation look like without LeBron?
Coach Redick and his staff now have to figure out who starts in place of LeBron and what kind of domino effect does his absence have on the rest of the rotation? Will Knecht crack the rotation? Could rookie Adou Thiero, if healthy, see minutes? How much of an increase in minutes will we see from LaRavia, Vanderbilt, Hachimura, etc.?
We can assume Doncic, Reaves, Hachimura and Ayton are the projected starters. Defense, particularly point of attack defense, is needed and the two likely names to fill that defensive void are Jarred Vanderbilt and Marcus Smart.
Though the case for Vanderbilt is he adds more size to an already tall lineup and has the ability to chase point guards like Stephen Curry. Smart could be instrumental in the sixth man type of role, being a ball handler off the bench and providing defensive intensity on the perimeter.
LeBron averaged 24.4 points a game last year to go along with 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists. Making up for his absence is no easy feat and the team will need each player to perform with the “next man up” mentality.
While L.A. has a relatively lighter schedule to open the season compared to the latter half of the year, there are no easy nights in the West, it’s a brutal conference. But with the leadership of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Lakers still have the tools necessary to remain competitive.
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