The 2025-26 common season hasn’t even began but for the Los Angeles Lakers, however they have already got issues. This time involving star LeBron James. He has but to make his preseason debut, and we now know he will not.
In keeping with ESPN’s Shams Charania, LeBron will miss the subsequent three to 4 weeks with sciatica. That implies that he may miss not less than the primary three weeks of the common season and 10 video games.
Lakers star LeBron James is sidelined for not less than 3 to 4 weeks because of sciatica on his proper aspect. He’s out for the beginning of the 2025-26 NBA season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 9, 2025
Whereas it might solely be 10 video games, sciatica is not one thing that essentially goes away shortly and will result in lingering points for LeBron and the Lakers. Anybody who has had again issues will let you know that they are often extraordinarily painful and uncomfortable.
Nonetheless, none of them have been LeBron, who has emerged as the best participant in NBA historical past because of his longevity and sturdiness.
Nonetheless, he’s coming into his twenty third season within the NBA and can flip 40 in December. Which means that he’s nearer to the tip of his profession than the start, and nagging accidents are to be anticipated.
The Lakers must change into much less reliant on LeBron James
With Luka Doncic, they not need to rely practically as a lot on LeBron, however they’ll nonetheless want him in the event that they wish to compete for a championship this season. That implies that they’ll doubtless need to rely extra on Doncic, Austin Reaves, and what they hope is an improved protection when LeBron sits or is not 100%.
It is completely attainable that LeBron may see a major drop in his total manufacturing with him having to take care of again accidents doubtlessly for a lot of the season. That might additionally negatively have an effect on the Lakers within the standings.
The West is already anticipated to be a massacre. Many anticipated the Lakers to be a top-4 group within the West like they have been final season. These possibilities take a giant hit if LeBron is out for the primary 10-plus video games of the season and the Lakers wrestle proper out of the gate.
They may, in fact, make up for a gradual begin later within the yr. However given how jam-packed the Western Convention standings are usually, the distinction between a number of wins and losses could possibly be the third seed and a better path to the Western Convention Finals or the eighth seed and them battling to make it in through the play-in match.
General, LeBron being dominated out for the beginning of the season with sciatica may show to be a giant deal for the Lakers. They must hope they will climate an early storm and that LeBron can play at a excessive stage in what could possibly be his last season in Los Angeles.
